Mikan Wears A Bra
by Wrath of Athena
Summary: Puberty takes its toll! Mikan grows up with Natsume constantly insulting her flat chest. When someone made Mikan’s chest size bigger, wearing a bra didn’t seem such a big deal...except Natsume & Ruka who dislike the unwanted attention she gets! NxMxR.
1. Chapter 1: You Don't Need a Bra!

_Puberty takes it toll! Mikan is growing up…with Natsume constantly insulting her flat-chest. However, when someone made Mikan's chest-size bigger, wearing a bra didn't seem such a big deal anymore…especially since suitors flocked everywhere—much to Natsume and Ruka's annoyance. NxMxR. R&R! Enjoy!_

**Author's Note: **You guys wouldn't mind if I add a new character right? Even just for a while? I got this idea after seeing the few pages of the manga when Mikan, Ruka, and Natsume turned into 15-year olds…and Natsume managed to get a feel of Mikan's breast. By the gods! **15-year old Ruka is so darn good-looking!** (drools…hubba hubba!) I am now, officially, a Ruka screaming fan-girl. Ah well! Enjoy this humble fanfic! (Even if it is a bit perverted…as usual…) Unlike my other one-shots or two-shots, I'll turn this one into a series.

**Mikan** **Wears a Bra**

Genre: Romance/Humor/Action

**Chapter 1: You Don't Need a Bra, You Need Implants!**

Written By: WizdomGoddess

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"Mikan! Aren't you finished yet?"

Hotaru Imai exhaled noisily.

Mikan was taking an awfully long time inside the dressing room. It didn't really surprise her, considering how indecisive her best friend could be. She glanced at her watch to check how long she has been in there. _Typical…_she remarked in her mind, _An_ _hour has already passed and she's still not coming out of there._ What the heck was she doing?

She decided to give it one more try to convince Mikan to ditch the dressing room and leave the store. "If you don't get out now I'll leave you behind," she intimidated her friend, hastily knocking at the fitting room door. "Are you going to buy or what?"

She knew it was a bad idea to accompany someone like Mikan in central town. She refused to come at first but her friend persistently begged her to the point of looking too pathetic in the eyes of everybody. Hotaru still had a heart after all---no matter how tiny and icy it seemed.

"But Hotaaaru!" Mikan whined from the other side of it, "I can't figure out how to get this thing off!"

Hotaru could hear the boisterous shifting of feet and rustling of garments inside the compartment. Hotaru knew the bus back to the school will depart in an hour, so she decided to just assist her troubled friend.

"Fine," she replied, "Let me in."

The door whooshed open without delay and Mikan's head poked out from behind it.

"Hotaaru! You'll really help me?" she asked gratefully, her voice giving away her fanatical excitement. "You're so kind Hotaruuu! You don't know how thankful I am!"

"Just shut up and let me in, Mikan," Hotaru replied calmly, she stepped forward and joined Mikan inside the partition. "And stop that annoying tone. For a 15-year old, you sure act like a little monster."

Mikan pouted.

Hotaru secretly grinned at her best friend.

When she first came to the academy six years ago, she decided to become a loner. She despised the organizational culture sustained by the school that she decided to flounder in her academics and inventions, simply to forget her other problems. That is, until her childhood friend Mikan came. She never imagined Mikan would follow her to the academy; she was also pleasantly surprised when she found out Mikan was an Alice. If Mikan wasn't here, she wouldn't be enjoying the experience of growing up with a friend like her---regardless of how irritating she could be.

Now that both girls have entered puberty, Hotaru is sharing the experience of the first signs of Mikan's growth spurt---wearing a bra.

Mikan is a late bloomer. Her breasts just recently started to develop; since she was the type to bounce around with excessive energy in the classroom, one of the female teachers noticed she wasn't wearing a bra.

Hotaru was puzzled when the teacher suddenly called Mikan. She decided to eavesdrop on their conversation. She overheard the teacher explain the wonders puberty does to a woman, much to the confusion of her ever-so-dense friend. Nevertheless, Mikan did manage to comprehend one advice from the female teacher:

"_Mikan, I believe you should start wearing a bra as early as now. The shape of your breast is important too!"_

And there she was, stuck in helping Mikan take off her newly acquired underwear.

Being girls, they didn't really mind seeing each other half naked. She taught Mikan an easier technique. She showed how to pull the straps off her shoulder, pull the garment down, and turn it around before unfastening it.

"Ohhh!" Mikan cooed at her. "This is great Hotaru! I'm a bit nervous though…"

Mikan looked at Hotaru, seeking relief from the burden of womanly "firsts".

"It's your first time. It's just natural to feel that way," she told her serenely, "Stop worrying about it. Just pay for it already!"

After Mikan finished dressing, Hotaru impatiently pushed her out of the fitting room, straight to the counter. Mikan happily pulled her purse from her bag and trawled for the rabbits she saved for that particular purchase.

"The bus will leave in 15 minutes." Hotaru pointed out, causing Mikan to panic.

"Oh noooo!"

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The bus ride seemed to take forever—especially with Sumire trying to coerce her to tell the contents of her newly bought package.

Mikan pulled the paper bag closer to her body and blocked it from the view of her curious classmates. After all this time, Sumire still made it a daily routine to bully her. She wished the cat-dog girl would stop pestering her! She aimed her most irresistible pleading eyes at Hotaru, who pretended to be oblivious from the chaos going on inside the bus.

"Ha! You must be hiding something stupid!" she exclaimed, trying to reach out for the package behind the auburn-haired girl. "Give it to me!"

"It's really nothing Sumire!" she wailed, blocking her reach once more, "Not that it's your business!" She growled at her. The rest of the occupants of the bus, comprised mostly of their classmates, grew even more curious about the commotion between the two girls.

Sumire had a conniving look on her face. "I see…" she began knowingly, "If it really was nothing, then you wouldn't try to hide it!" She instantly transformed into her cat-dog state. Before Mikan could let out a shriek, Sumire grabbed the package from behind her using her mouth, leapt back into the aisle, and proceeded to open it.

Mikan dove for her package. "Give it back! That's mine!" she cried out, pulling one end of the paper bag.

Sumire won't give up without a fight. "Oh no, you don't!" she sneered at her and pulled in the other direction.

Since the law of physics still applied inside the enchanted academy, the force proved fatal for Mikan's poor package.

To everyone's shock, a whole set of undergarments flew in the air the moment it tore. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion for Mikan. She watched in absolute shock as the bras she had just bought fluttered in midair and deliberately landed on none other than Hyuuga Natsume.

"…"

Deadly silence engulfed the bus.

"…" Natsume looked undisturbed. He carefully took the bra that hung from the top of his head and fixed his eyes on it. Beside him, Ruka was beyond flabbergasted as he stared at the other succulent undergarments that settled on his best friend's lap. Hotaru moved her attention from the window to the interesting display of awkwardness that spread inside the bus.

Natsume smirked at the staggering Mikan, who glowed with embarrassment.

"So you're wearing a bra now," he pronounced indifferently, moving his gaze from the bras to Mikan and back again. Then his gaze landed on the small lumps that protruded from her chest. "Like you even need one, flat-chested," he added, just to spite her.

It worked wonders.

Mikan gathered enough willpower to bestow her self the chance to think of a comeback. "It's none of your business!" she snarled at him, swiftly grabbing the bra from his hands. "Give it back! That's mine! Stop being so mean!" She shot him a dirty look.

Natsume glared back. "Maybe I should just burn them," he said nonchalantly, provoking her further. "You don't need them anyway. You should have gotten breast implants instead."

_Breast implants!_

"You…" she narrowed her eyes at him, clutching her skirt in anger, and much offended. Natsume took note on how her skirt revealed a little bit more of her thighs but that wasn't his concern at the moment.

Okay, she had it with that creep! To his surprise, Mikan lunged towards Natsume with a war cry and snatched away the remaining bras on his lap. She ignored the snickers that emanated from the people in the bus, especially Sumire. Her mere consolation was Sumire's priceless face when she saw _her_ bras in Natsume's hands, although she never fully understood why she was upset over it. Natsume was an idiot!

With vengeful intentions, Sumire decided to add insult to injury on Mikan's expense.

"She's got such an unattractive flat-chest unlike mine! Boys will never go out with her, don't you think so too Natsume?" she laughed, batting her eyelashes sweetly at the unperturbed, unsociable man with the Fire-Alice.

"Hey you dropped one, fruit panties." Natsume pointed at the bottom of Mikan's feet, ignoring Sumire for the millionth time.

_That Natsume! _Mikan thought angrily. He never failed to ruin her day. Mikan turned red yet again. She rapidly placed the undergarments in her bag. However, as she was about to reach for the last one, the bus came to a halt. Mikan stumbled and crashed in the front aisle.

"Everybody, buddy up! We're back in the dormitories!" announced the metallic voice of their high-tech bus.

As Mikan rubbed her sore butt, a pair of shoes appeared in front of her.

She looked up in agitation.

Ruka caught her gaze and slowly picked up her undergarment. He handed it over to her. "Here," he said in his usual serious tone, offering his hand for support in helping her up. Mikan gladly accepted.

"Are you okay?" he asked in concern, a pink blush surfaced on his cheeks. "You shouldn't be standing while the bus is moving, you know. It's dangerous." He stared at her curiously.

Mikan bowed gratefully. "I'm sorry…" she replied in an apologetic tone, then proceeded to smile at him brightly, "Thank you for helping me!"

Ruka flushed and looked away to conceal his own embarrassment. He took a sudden interest on his bunny, a descendant of his previous pet. He began stroking it, hiding a blush.

"Get out of the way, flat-chested," a voice interrupted their sweet moment. Mikan jumped aside.

Natsume watched her hurdle in fright; he relished how her features slowly transformed to his favorite pissed-off look. "Stop flirting around, girl." He then turned to Ruka. "Let's go, Ruka!" he motioned to his friend. Ruka was prompt and followed Natsume out of the bus.

Mikan stuck her tongue at Natsume's retreating back, Hotaru by her side.

Mikan looked troubled. "What is wrong with that guy!" she sighed heavily, "He always gets on my nerves!"

Hotaru shook her head. How thick can her friend be? She just shrugged indifferently. "I'm sure he has his reasons," she replied in a bored tone. She knew that Natsume was in love with Mikan. She watched the boy's love interest mope between the aisles.

"Now let's go before you disturb anybody else."

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Mikan sulked.

Hotaru could be cruel sometimes but she knew that deep inside, the girl really cared for her. She rubbed her sore forehead. _Darn Hotaru and her baka gun…_she cried in her thoughts. Doesn't she grow tired of hitting her all the time!

She began to recuperate from the humiliation she faced this morning. So what if most of the other girls in their class have bigger breasts than her! What's the big deal? It didn't matter a few years ago and it shouldn't matter now…right? She shook her head vigorously. Mikan never did understand the mentality of the girls in their class. They seemed to fuss over trivial things like make-up, fashionable outfits and cute boys all the time since middle school came.

_Ah well…I guess I'll know sooner or later!_ She thought happily and enjoyed the cool breeze that brushed against her face. She stretched her arms and smiled to herself. Sure she had a dilemma a while ago, but she will never let it get the better of her!

She continued her peaceful walk amid the pleasant foliage of the forest. She was on her way to her Special-Ability study group and she knew her friends there would always make her feel better. They were far more enjoyable than that arrogant Natsume---**beyond far.**

Mikan stomped on the grass to release her frustration. "That jerk!" she shrilled aggressively, "Who does he think he is? Calling me a flat-chested unattractive….!" She trailed off in excruciating fury.

She was about to curse some more when she heard a hearty laugh echo from the depths of the forest. _What the heck? Who was that?_ She thought, quite stunned.

She bobbled and continued to inspect her surroundings. _Darn it!_ She cursed silently. She was too engrossed with her problems that she failed to realize that someone must have followed her.

"Who are you?" she demanded, calling out to nothingness.

Mikan shrieked when a boy fell out of a tree and crashed in front of her. He howled a loud "OUCH!" before he chuckled. "Hey, hey! No need to be angry!" he said and backed off, carefully plucking some leaves off his uniform. She ran up to the strange boy in worry.

He looked so much like her senior, Tsubasa, minus the cap. His messy gray hair looked the same too. She noticed his eyes were the fierce color of cherries that seemed to penetrate her own. He was pretty young, quite tall, but seemed to be around her age.

"Hey, are you alright?" she asked, checking his condition.

The boy stared at her for a moment, stood up, and placed his palm on her head. "You're a cute girl!" he said openly, giving her an expressive, and seductive, smile. "I'd like someone as cute as **you **to give me a tour around here. I'm just new yah know?"

He leaned forward until his face was only inches away from hers.

_Ack! What a playboy! _Mikan took a step back and raised a brow at him. "And why would I do that?" she replied in protest.

The rather handsome stranger grinned. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I can help you with your little problem."

_Was he talking about my chest-size? _Mikan decided to act like she didn't know anything.

"What problem?" she denied.

"Man, you're a bad liar."

"Why? Do you know me!" she demanded. Who was this weirdo?

"Oh, I heard a lot about you from Misaki. She's my distant cousin you see! We've been keeping in touch since she got here in the academy," he professed cheerfully with a friendly wink at Mikan. "I'm Akito Takahashi. I'm pleased to meet you, Mikan!"

Her eyes flickered with astonishment. Misaki had a cousin! And she didn't tell them?

She studied his features and decided to trust him, assuming he indeed told the truth. She decided to let him accompany her. Besides, once they get to her study group…he'll probably just leave her alone. He seemed so nice too. _Nice people are rare in this school._

From behind a tree, Natsume watched as Mikan and a stupid-looking idiot became absorbed in deep conversation.

He wanted an isolated place to read his _manga_ until his tranquility was destroyed by an awfully familiar voice. It was none other than Mikan's loud accent. He instantaneously dropped his comic book and followed the sound when she screamed---only to see an unfamiliar boy flirting with her. Her brilliant smile irritated him, not because of the smile itself, but because it was aimed at that idiot who flirted with her.

He stared angrily at their retreating silhouette, fists clenched.

He didn't like it---**not one bit**.

**To be continued…**

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**WizdomGoddess: ** Woot! Someone's jealous! Hohoho! Please review…I might get ideas from them! Hope you like the first chapter. Thanks so much for your support. I've made the final revisions. If you see further errors, feel free to email me or drop a review!


	2. Chapter 2: The Trouble With Growing Up!

_Puberty takes it toll! Mikan is growing up…with Natsume constantly insulting her flat-chest. However, when someone made Mikan's chest-size bigger, wearing a bra didn't seem such a big deal anymore…especially since suitors flocked everywhere—much to Natsume and Ruka's annoyance. NxMxR. R&R! Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice. I'm just here to bully the characters.**

**Author's Note: **Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews on the first chapter! I hope the second chapter will turn out okay. I apologize for the delay, the first draft I made for this chapter really bored me to death so I deleted all of it (scratches head) I decided to start from scratch again, hehehe. I do hope this one turned out better than its original. (sulks) Enjoy!

**Mikan Wears a Bra**

Genre: Romance/Humor/Action

**Chapter 2: The Trouble With Growing Up!**

Written By: WizdomGoddess

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Mikan loved a sunny day, but this particular afternoon was scorching hot---and the heat slowly got to her nerves badly.

"Here, have a drink!"

To quench their thirst, they had stopped near a vending machine at the corner of the hallway. Akito had been generous, and annoyingly persistent, when he offered to pay for her. Akito reached out a can soda towards her, and Mikan gladly accepted it.

"Thank you, Takahashi-san!" she said gleefully, seizing the orange-flavored soda from his hand. She lifted the tab and took a sip.

Mikan eyed her companion suspiciously.

She tried to decipher his eccentric look; there was something ominous about his character and it disturbed her. _What am I thinking!_ She scolded herself, resorting to her conscience. The guy just bought her a drink and she was ungrateful enough to think of dreadful thoughts about him! She cowered at the thought of how her grandpa would react to this inner selfishness. She examined him more carefully and brought the can towards her mouth. Akito watched with a smirk as she gulped down the beverage.

"So, having trouble with your small tits?"

He watched the liquid spray out of her mouth, apparently shocked by his question.

"How did you know?" she asked awkwardly, taking a step backward.

Akito smacked his lips. "Oh, I just heard you yell it out back in the forest, duh?" he replied smoothly. His rudeness caused Mikan to blow up her cheeks. With a chuckle, he playfully patted the top of her head. Mikan placed her hands over her hips and gave a frown of disapproval. "Please!" she barked, sounding grumpy.

"**Don't** remind me!" With a scowl, she tossed the empty soda inside the trash can that posed only a meter away from them. "I've had enough insults for one day."

Akito flashed a sympathetic smile. "I understand you," he assured her.

He paused for a brief moment. "But if I were to ask you," he began, a profound tone in his voice. "Would you rather have bigger breasts?"

Her jaw dropped intermittently. Nobody had ever asked her such a private question before. Darn, this guy was nosy! Despite that, Mikan contemplated it thoroughly. She recalled the incident inside the bus and the abuse Natsume had injected on her chest. Unfathomable feelings of anger returned to her.

"Well, I wish I have a bigger chest!" she huffed with robust vivacity, waving her fists in the air.

"Shout it!"

"**I WISH MY CHEST IS BIGGER!"**

Akito guffawed at her naiveté. He never expected the girl to actually shout it out---it was just a joke! He found it exceptionally charming of her.

"Who knows?" he said with a coy sparkle in his eye, "Maybe your wish will come true!" Mikan blushed at his kind words. How could she have doubted him? He was probably one of the nicest guys she had ever met!

"Oh I almost forgot! I have to do something!" he beamed apologetically at Mikan. "Say hi to Misaki for me alright!" With a quick peck on her cheek, Akito took off leaving a bewildered Mikan in the corridor.

"I bet you enjoyed that."

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"Idiot," echoed an all-too-familiar voice.

Mikan spun around only to come face to face with the last person she wanted to see.

Natsume shot her an annoyed look, such an expression perplexed her; his eyes conveyed clues of noticeable anger.

_What the heck is eating him? _Mikan wondered, her eyes turning into slits. She had seen Natsume make that very peculiar expression several times, but she never really gave it a second thought. She could never understand his temperament no matter how much she tried, so what's the use in even trying? Although she found it cute when he becomes nice to her every now and then, he usually steps over the line more often than not.

"Hn, how typical of you…flirting with a loser in the middle of the hallway," he added, frowning intently at the direction where Akito had disappeared.

"And what's that to _you," _she shot back. "If you're here to harass me then you're just wasting your time!" _How come this idiot always appears out of nowhere?_

Natsume didn't answer.

Instead, he just stared at her.

His eerie silence bothered Mikan to no end---much more than when he opens his mouth.

"Wh-what?" Mikan felt a tremor go down her throat, his stare diffused her vision; its hollow immensity led the color of her skin to change into spontaneous cherry pink facades.

Avoiding his penetrating gaze, Mikan immediately veered until her back faced him.

"Well! If you're not going to say anything, I might as well go!" she snapped, flinging her bag over her shoulder. "I'm going to be late. Tsubasa and the others are probably waiting for me already." She barely walked a meter when he suddenly spoke up.

"Since when have you been on time, stupid?" Natsume snorted.

_That conceited, arrogant jerk!_

Mikan was about to strangle him; unfortunately, largely due to her carelessness, she stumbled backwards. "You….Waaaah!" she cried out, shutting her eyes and expecting to ram the ground any minute---but she never did. Gentle, firm hands had caught her shoulders providing enough support for her to remain upright. Mikan glanced up at him, only to find herself transfixed with his brick-colored eyes.

Their intimate proximity, with her hair spilled liberally over his arm and his warm sporadic breath against her cheek, immobilized her body; she closed her eyes cursing herself as her mind too, ceased to function.

Natsume watched as the petite girl in his arms stiffened.

The world seemed to come to a stop as their eyes met; their closeness preserved as time prolonged for them. There was something about her scent that he found somewhat endearing to his senses. He took in the picturesque lines that outlined her cheeks, suddenly overwhelmed with redness. He really didn't know how to carry on, as he found himself enjoying her nearness.

Then again, it could just be his stupid, freaky hormones working on his system that brought this current reverie.

_Hug her! She's right there in your arms you spineless moron! _He could just hear his squealing hormones tempt his sanity.

Screw puberty and its effect on his manhood.

But…maybe he could give in to this excitement, just this once.

The irritating moment she shared with that Akito-idiot lingered in his memory---this was the perfect chance to get back at her.

Ofcourse, teasing her in the process would not be a bad idea either. His suggestive thoughts slowly reeled in his better judgment; he consciously slid his arms around her waist, across her shoulders and squeezed her---tight.

Mikan let out a loud, frightened yelp.

Natsume closed the distance between his lips and her ear, allowing a low-pitched grunt to escape his voice box. He could feel her shiver against his touch. He knew the girl must be traumatized by now. "You know, little girl," he murmured huskily, his lips nuzzling against the sensitive pelt of her ear.

….

….

"You're such a klutz."

After ruining the moment, he released and pushed her away.

Mikan lurched forward but managed to regain her balance, blushing furiously. She looked up in disbelief, her mouth still gawking at him.

Natsume stuck out his tongue, looking intact as if nothing happened. "You should have seen your ugly face," he told her, putting his hands in his pockets. He waited for Mikan to snap out of her little trance.

He didn't have to wait that long, the girl was at his throat again in a matter of seconds.

"YOU PERVERT!" she choked at his departing posterior. She felt a pang of disappointment but as soon as his trap opened, she repressed it immediately. She leapt towards him and wrestled him to the ground, taking a hold of his sweater. Natsume just shot her a bored look, and that pissed her off even more.

"Get off, you molester. Don't rape me," he said, planning to make her look bad. This set her off even further, much to his pleasure.

"**You're** the molester around here!" she yelled back, shaking him vigorously. However, her attempt was pathetic since Natsume was much stronger, taller, and bigger than her. He stood up without difficulty as Mikan landed on her butt the second time that day. Though to her utter surprise, he suddenly gripped her elbow and pulled her up on her feet.

"Th-Thank you," she stuttered. _Hey, why the hell am I thanking him! _She mentally slapped herself. _But…that was nice of him._

Damn, that guy is so unpredictable.

"Hey, polka-dots. The bra you bought is sticking out of your bag, if you'd like to know." He uttered, looking at her at the corner of his eye before disappearing at the corner of the hallway.

_WHAT!_

She scuttled towards her bag and found it tightly closed. She realized Natsume had bluffed to fool her so he could get away, that coward.

"NATSUUME!"

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Ruka rode at the back of his rhinoceros gritting his teeth.

He was on the hunt for Hotaru and her newly-acquired photos of him in his swimming trunks, when he heard a loud yelp from a distance. He jumped off the animal to check it out. At first, he thought it was an anguished dog seeking his help; but when he reached its origin, he realized it was a different dog altogether---a sly one, that looked awfully like his best friend.

And he had his arms around Mikan.

Ruka blinked in astonishment and rubbed his eyes incredulously. He squinted to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

Yup, they're still there.

Plus they're still hugging.

…

…

Yup, they're hugging alright.

Ruka felt miffed by the scene right before him. His heart turned, His body grew numb. A familiar feeling returned to him; he recognized the feeling as a recurring one---was he jealous? He probably was, he admitted to himself. He had long disclosed to himself that he liked Mikan, ever since grade school; maybe to the point that he might even be in love with her.

His face loomed as darkness stifled his heart. Ruka distinguished how Natsume seemed to be enjoying himself---very much. He empathized with the happiness his best friend felt, especially since he believed he deserved it. Yet deep inside, he knew he didn't mean every word of that.

Damn.

Now he felt restless.

Ruka continued to brood about his love-life, completely forgetting the fact that Hotaru must already be selling his photos and displaying them all over the school. The face of his best friend appeared in his mind, refusing to go away.

_Oh great, now my conscience is getting to me._

"Oi."

Ruka was stunned. Did the picture of Natsume in his head just talk? Now he knew he was losing it.

"Ruka?" it said, aiming a questioning look at him. "Hey, you okay?"

Apparently, the image on his head wasn't just an image---it was a real, live, and knowing Natsume. Ruka cleared his mind, he must have spaced out longer than he thought. He regained his composure and flashed a smile at his friend reassuringly. "Yeah, I guess I spaced out."

"…"

"…"

My god, talking to him was too awkward.

Ruka wanted to break the silence but his tongue seemed to be tied. Natsume took the burden off his shoulders.

"Come on."

Ruka shot one last glance at Mikan, who had just screeched Natsume's name into the atmosphere and by his request, followed Natsume.

"Yeah."

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"Waaaai! Our little baby is growing up!"

The older girls in her special-ability class had gathered around Mikan to fuss over the exciting potentials of her womanhood.

Mikan, being the innocent girl that she was, had become extremely baffled by the sudden complexity of their vocabulary.

She sweated and turned to her study-partner, Tsubasa Andou as the words "boyfriend", "periods", "push-ups", and "lipstick" tumbled from their mouths, seeking to be enlightened on the definition of those words. She had no idea what they were talking about.

Tsubasa shrugged in reply. Not surprisingly, he had no idea what they were talking about either, or perhaps he found it too disturbing to be the one explaining those stuffs to Mikan. This was also true for the rest of the male population in their Special-Ability class, as we all know--but Mikan didn't really know that, did she?

To her relief, Misaki Harada stepped in the midst of the commotion and settled down the overexcited women, releasing Mikan from her logical troubles.

"Now girls, you're embarrassing her," she simply stated, "Let her go. You must consider what she's feeling at this time of her life. I'm sure you girls remember how you felt back then."

"You're right, Misaki," one of the girls agreed, letting go of Mikan's arm.

All the girls in the class nodded knowingly, bonded by the certain universal experience that only women shared and understood.

The boys in the class just looked at each other; also bonded by how little they understood of women, and would rather not get involved with it.

Mikan seemed to be the only clueless person in that room.

However, she seemed to be more concerned of starting the study session in the absence of Noda-sensei, who was probably somewhere time-tripping, than think about her evidently **urgent **need for sex education.

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**To be continued…**

**Author's Note: ** (shakes head) Who, among you would like to teach Mikan? (I sure don't!) The next chapter will be entitled "Chest Sizes Do Matter!" and I've already started it. Mikan's breasts will finally grow bigger in Chapter 3…how did that happen? I, for one, would love to see Natsume's face when he sees it...uh, them…uh, her. Stay tuned! Hope you liked this chapter! R&R please! I'd love to hear your reviews. Suggestions are very much welcome. (Waves Ruka fanclub flag in the air)


	3. Chapter 3: Chest Size Does Matter!

_Puberty takes it toll! Mikan is growing up…with Natsume constantly insulting her flat-chest. However, when someone made Mikan's chest-size bigger, wearing a bra didn't seem such a big deal anymore…especially since suitors flocked everywhere—much to Natsume and Ruka's annoyance. NxMxR. R&R! Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice. I'm just here to bully the characters.**

**Author's Note: **Time for the RukaxMikan fluff. This chapter will include fragments of the NatsumexMikan fluff too. The first part of this chapter will be serious then slowly build up to a romance and then a comedy. Hopefully I was able to make it work...Please review and feel free to give your comments! I haven't checked this chapter for errors yet so if you find one or more, please tell me. It'll be very much appreciated! Thank you again! Love yah!

**Mikan Wears a Bra**

Genre: Romance/Humor/Action

**Chapter 3: Chest Size Does Matter!**

Written By: WizdomGoddess

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"Natsume."

Natsume whipped his head about and saw Ruka emerge on the rooftop. He watched as his best friend vaulted upwards over the hedges towards him. With a brief glance over his broad shoulder, Natsume watched him carefully take a seat beside him. He observed his friend from the sides and detected that he seemed to be engrossed in a subconscious battle with himself.

He lowered his arms from the back of his head and bolstered his body upright. His gaze lingered at Ruka's agitated features, noticing a bit of sweat gleam on his forehead. Natsume exactly knew who occupied his best friend's mind.

While Ruka remained hushed by his side, he just waited without assuming anything else.

Their sight grazed on the vast evening sky, dotted with billions of tiny, glittering pollens that dimly illuminated the top of the dormitory. Yet the atmosphere surrounding these two young men contradicted the serenity of the twilight.

Ruka caught his friend staring at him; he took a deep breath and puffed out to relax his nerves. He knew the more he delayed his query, the more awkward it would get.

"Hey, Natsume," he began.

"Hmm?" Natsume grunted.

"Earlier this afternoon…" Ruka expounded, focusing his eyesight on the luminous outline of the moon, trying hard not to visualize the stinging memory he was about to bring up.

Natsume didn't budge, nevertheless continued to listen.

"You seemed happy….holding her," Ruka managed to describe, eyeing Natsume who had placed his elbow on a bent knee. He was unflustered by his question.

Natsume avoided his stare. His best friend was asking for an explanation about his strange behavior that day—but he didn't know how to answer.

"Don't be ridiculous," he replied haughtily, followed by a smirk. "It was revenge."

"Revenge for what?" Ruka probed.

"…Oh, it's nothing." Natsume grimaced, staring at his shadow.

"…"

That was that. The conversation has officially come to an end---especially when it involved Natsume.

All he learned was that his friend had encountered a situation that pissed him off concerning Mikan Sakura.

Beyond that---he knew no more.

Ruka sighed in disappointment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------o

"Mikan, how many times do I have to tell you…!"

Misaki crossed her arms, shaking her head at the tall, slender girl beside her. "I don't remember having a distant cousin by the name of Akito!" she exclaimed with a lift of a brow, putting an arm around the shoulder of her companion. "You're so funny sometimes when you repeat the same question, dear. Tsubasa must be rubbing off on you."

Misaki laughed heartily at her joke.

However, Mikan was too bamboozled to join her.

"B-But…" she began to protest, but her mouth closed shut, completely at a loss for any additional defiance on her part. She knew Misaki was telling the truth, but she refused to believe that her new friend had lied to her about his identity.

_Who the heck is this Akito?_

Mikan bawled, surprising everybody else standing nearby in the corridor. "Whyyyy!" she wailed, running around in a sudden burst of hysterical energy, "If not being harsh, I'm being lied to! Waaaaah!"

Misaki sweated, unsure of how to calm down the frantic young woman; hence, she just settled on scratching her head.

"I'm a jinx! I'm cursed!" Mikan carried on from a crutched position in a corner, drawing invisible shapes on the ground with her finger.

"Don't you think you're over-reacting here?" Misaki pointed out, realizing that consoling this girl was like convincing Tsubasa to kiss his enemy.

She gave her friend a timid smile, hoping Mikan would cheer up soon. She had to change immediately or she was going to be late for her dinner date with Tsubasa; but she couldn't just leave Mikan all alone feeling miserable!

Ah well, Tsubasa would understand---he always did.

"Whoever this Akito guy is, he must have a good reason why he did that to you…right?" she suggested.

"Even so!" Mikan persisted, snapping her head towards her pink-haired friend. "He shouldn't have lied in the first place! There is no good excuse for lying!" She bit her lower lip as she fought back another sniffle.

Misaki was more insightful. "Well, you're right on that one," she affirmed, "But getting yourself too wrapped up on the problem will only stress you out. Just let it go and confront him when you see him again."

She bent and rested a hand on the top of Mikan's head reassuringly. "So don't worry too much, alright?"

Mikan thought for a moment and very slowly, nodded. "Yeah…thank you," she replied softly, amazed at how mature her doppelganger senior has grown for the last few years. "You're so smart, Misaki!"

Misaki grinned with ardor, playing with the lock of her younger companion's mane. "Well! Glad to see you in high spirits again!" she exclaimed, stretching an arm in the air with a victory sign. They noticed the other students gradually filing in to their respective rooms inside the dormitory. The hallway was nearly empty.

Misaki turned to Mikan. "It's about time we go in, don't you think?" she reached out and grabbed the hand of the surprised girl.

"So shall we go?" Misaki looked expectantly at her friend, crimson eyes sparkling.

Mikan was happy that their rooms were right next to each other. She had become good friends with Misaki as pages flew off the calendar. She was a wonderful, hospitable and lively friend who made her life in the academy all the more easier and all the more better; this is why Mikan dreaded the thought that her friend was going to leave the academy for good once the school-year was over. She will miss her terribly!

Mikan quivered and closed her eyes to regain her rationality: She should be happy for her! A bright smile replaced the sober look on her face and she clutched back the female hand holding hers---friends always.

She will deal with that _Akito Takahashi _once she sees him.

"Let's go!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------o

Ruka was stuck in a rut. No matter how many times he tried, he could not stop thinking about the shared intimacy that he accidentally witnessed earlier between Natsume and Mikan---it automatically replayed in his mind.

He had left his friend on the rooftop a few minutes after he changed the subject. They simply talked about their short-term plans for the following day until Ruka felt besieged by drowsiness.

He was perched on a tree branch just above his bedroom window when he heard a howl echo through the air.

_That's strange..._, he thought, remembering that the academy had made a strict law that thwarted the breeding of wolves inside the school grounds, particularly made for the somatic-types like him.

One of the lamp posts flickered; the leaves of the trees around the dormitory swayed inertly to the rhythm of the wind that swiped across his pale skin. Ruka puckered his brow, and felt his heart being plagued by an agonizing uneasiness.

As he leapt towards another branch just in front of his bedroom window, everything became pitch black.

Ruka realized all the street-lamps have gone out and he had no choice but to feel his way towards his bedroom. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness then jolted towards the open window frame.

_I made it…_, he sighed in relief---good thing too, because he was four stories high up from the ground. One wrong move, would have led him to be handicapped for life, not to mention smooshed against the cement---and that doesn't make a really happy ending.

Ruka carefully lifted the curtains that hung from the upper window sill and entered gracefully into the soothing recesses of his room. Were it not for his better judgment, he may have failed to recognize the weak scent of tangerine that dispersed inside. He frowned suspiciously, staring intently at his flowery, carnation pink bed.

Wait a minute, his bed wasn't pink!

Then it dawned on him that he had entered the wrong room---and wrong room it was! Because the minute he turned around, the bathroom door flung open and there stepped out a humming, nude Mikan who was happily toweling her long, damp hair in the doorway.

_HOLY SHIT!_

This was all his mind could conceive, he was too aghast from the naked unaware girl before him that he suddenly forgot how to breathe. He felt his whole body shut down, rendering him powerless to flee from her sight. Still in his wide-eyed state and glued psychologically to the floor, he helplessly watched as Mikan finished rubbing her hair, twisted it, and slung it over her shoulder revealing a charming view of her bare neck. He swallowed as his gaze wandered involuntarily over her body, following the curves of her flesh against the mere radiance of the moonlight that managed to seep into the room. The towel she pressed against her barely covered her.

Ruka gulped, his heart now ferociously pounding against his chest---torn between extreme bewilderment and complete ecstasy.

Mikan seemed to have finally realized she wasn't alone in the room. She turned to see our hyperventilating Ruka gaping at her, and gasped in horror---dropping the towel that she held against her breasts in the process. His eyes widened even further as he was given a perfect view of her entire nakedness.

_HOLY SHIT!_

His mind uttered yet again, forgetting the rest of his stored vocabulary. Ruka stared at her, eyes darting frantically from her body to her tomato red face. He had to speak up! He had to explain to her…! His heart was now slamming inside him. He opened his mouth but no words came out.

_No! This isn't happening….this isn't happening…! _But no matter how much Mikan tried to deny it, it was indeed happening. She was now breathing heavily as the blonde-haired man opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish. When the gravity of the situation registered in her head, she desperately tried to cover her breasts and lower body with her hands, roaring out a thunderous, piercing scream, disturbing the silence of the night.

"**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**

Ruka had never heard a girl scream that loud in his whole life. Then again, he never did see a girl naked before, not that he cared---he just happened to be in love with this one.

He gradually released his ears from the deafening scream when he felt a towel hit his face. "What the!" he exclaimed, confused.

"RUKA! DON'T YOU DARE LOOK AT ME!" Mikan demanded angrily, subduing the poor young man to obey her command, ignoring the towel that hung on his head. He immediately closed his eyes shut---hard.

Ruka heard the rowdy shuffling of clothes and slippers and the alternating shrieks she let out while she stumbled. He decided to use the time to calm down his overexcited body.

_Dammit_, he cursed himself.

"Mikan, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" he burst out.

"What are you doing here in the first place!" she asked irately from somewhere, his eyes still closed.

"I was on the roof with Natsume when the lights from lamps outside died. It was dark so I accidentally mistook your room for mine," he explained miserably, and added, "I'm really sorry…"

"Hey, what are you two doing?" a familiar male voice echoed through his eardrums. His eyes instantly flew open.

Natsume was posted on the window sill with tidbits of astonishment written all over his face. He heard a scream that came from the direction of Mikan's room and dashed over to check it out.

He looked at the scene before him, from the shocked Ruka on the bed and a half-dressed Mikan, who barely had her robe on---therefore, exposing her upper body. Both stared at him in disbelief. A tint of uneasiness glinted in his eye. He decided to let his gaze linger on Mikan and her half-nude form.

Ruka held his breath yet again when Natsume jumped inside the room and approached the shocked girl.

Mikan reacted violently. "STAY BACK YOU MORON!" she shrilled, causing Natsume to stop in his tracks and lift a brow at her.

By this time, Mikan was already shaking in fury, blushing different shades of red. She quickly put on her robe to avoid further humiliation and turned to the two men trudging in her bedroom.

"Mikan, I…" Ruka started again, shifting from his position. He now stood up beside Natsume.

Mikan glared at both of them and pointed at her door. "You two…OUT!" she narrowed her eyes at them, "OUT! NOW!"

When both boys didn't budge, she marched towards the front door and hastily pulled it open.

"OUT!" she demanded, pointing outside the door and placing a hand on her hips to indicate she was deadly serious.

The two boys finally gravitated towards the door.

Ruka glanced at Mikan, whose features have slightly softened at him. "Ruka, I forgive you. Don't do it again." Mikan muttered under her breath when Ruka passed by her, enough for him to hear. She was still angry over the incident but she knew Ruka meant his apology. She looked away blushing.

"Thank you," Ruka smiled in reply and nodded, his cheeks matching her own.

Natsume watched their little sweet moment from behind, but said nothing.

Mikan looked fiercely at him as he passed by her, and he decided to speak up. "FLAT-CHES-TED," he said loudly as he passed by, emphasizing each syllable. He stuck out his tongue at her and proceeded to leave the room.

"I DON'T CARE!" she spat at him, slamming the door hard on their faces.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------o

Natsume turned to his friend who looked whiter than usual.

"What was that all about?" he asked, sounding more like he said a statement.

Ruka ran his hand through his thick blonde hair nervously and shook his head.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Natsume got the message. "Fine," he sighed.

Silence dominated them.

In their minds, they knew what the other was thinking about---and this time, it wasn't her undergarments anymore.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------o

That morning was just like any other busy mornings in Alice Academy.

Yuu seemed more interested talking to Nonoko and Anna about lessons the previous day, the squealing fanclub girls gathered and fussed around Natsume and Ruka who pretended to be deaf, and Hotaru sat alone in her desk setting up her latest Anti-Moron contraption before Mikan arrived in the classroom.

The clock finally struck at 6:45 that morning. Hotaru looked at the door as one-by-one, their classmates spontaneously filed in---all except Mikan, who should have sauntered boisterously through the door by now.

Hotaru wondered, beginning to get worried of the tardiness of her friend. She glanced at the duo at the back of the classroom. Natsume read his _manga_ as usual but Ruka had a worried expression. He was already stealing glimpses at the door, probably also wondering where in the world was Mikan. He caught her gaze, questioning her; Hotaru just shrugged and looked emotionlessly at him.

"Hotaru! Hotaru!" Yuu ran to her, he looked restless.

"Where is Mikan? She should be here by now!" he asked worried, his girly eyes blinking at her.

"I don't know," she answered softly.

She was about to go out the classroom to find her when Mikan hastily entered the classroom, her head lowered with her bangs covering her face. She hugged her bag against her body and didn't even bother to notice anybody in the room, unlike what she usually did. Hotaru and Yuu watched as she rushed towards her desk and sat down quietly, her arms still around her bag.

Natsume and Ruka noticed her silence as well. What puzzled them even more was that she didn't even care to leap towards Hotaru, shrieking for her big hug---what happened to her?

Ruka secretly hoped it wasn't the after-effects of the previous night while Natsume pretended to read his manga again, glancing every so often in her direction.

Hotaru walked towards her friend and peered over her. "Mikan, what's wrong?" she asked, smidgens of worry in her voice.

Mikan lifted her head and looked straight at Hotaru, a scared look on her face.

"Hotaaaaru…something…is wrong with me…" she stammered, her voice trembled. She hugged her bag closer to her body, burying her face in it.

"Want to talk about it outside?" Hotaru offered, puzzled at the sudden odd attachment her friend had developed towards her bag.

"Oh Hotaru! Yes, please…" she replied, quite relieved. Mikan stood up and walked with Hotaru along the aisle.

Natsume watched smugly as the two girls slowly descended towards them.

Everything went smoothly, until Mikan screamed and her bag flew in the air as she found herself about to collide with the ground yet again. Mikan realized it was caused by a purposely misplaced foot and saw it actually belongs to Natsume; and he had an annoyingly haughty look on his face.

"Daaaaaarn youuuu Natsuuumeeee!" she yelled, stretching out her hands, successfully grabbing his arm. To his surprise, Natsume found himself being pulled towards Mikan, joining her on the free fall to the ground. When they crashed, Natsume was on top of her causing all eyes to grow wide---especially the Natsume and Ruka fangirls.

Natsume felt weird. His head was on something big and squishy---never did he feel that during the many times he fell on Mikan's soft body. His head felt a little stiff but Natsume managed to support himself upright again. He stared at the girl beneath him. When she came about, she started to curse him.

She sat up and pushed him away. "Damn you Natsume! Get away from me!" Mikan bawled.

The rest of the class looked at them in complete shock---not because her panties were flamboyantly visible---but because something was different with Mikan. Even Natsume was stumped, dropping his manga _and_ his jaw on the floor. Hotaru just covered her mouth, stifling a laugh, looking very amused. Ruka was speechless, he should know. Mikan realized she was busted---literally.

Why? Because everybody realized Mikan was hiding a pair of humongous breasts; and mind you, it bounced more energetically than she ever did.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------o

**To be continued…**

**End Notes: **Whoop-dee-doo! In the next chapter, boys flock around Mikan annoying the hell out of her two admirers----especially Natsume. Natsume drags Mikan somewhere to confront her. Then something happens to Mikan that causes a commotion when she experiences another effect of her growth spurt---and this time, both Natsume and Ruka are there to witness it! Well, that's the summary for Chapter 4, hope you guys like this one. Please review if this chapter satisfied your tastes. Thanks again! Love yah!


	4. Chapter 4: Something's Wrong with Mikan!

_Puberty takes its toll! Mikan is growing up…with Natsume constantly insulting her flat-chest. However, when someone made Mikan's chest-size bigger, wearing a bra didn't seem such a big deal anymore…especially since suitors flocked everywhere—much to Natsume and Ruka's annoyance. NxMxR. R&R! Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice. I'm just here to bully the characters.**

**Author's Note: **Brace yourselves. This is probably the longest chapter I've ever made (revised---gosh, my grammar scared me). Nyu…sowee, hope it won't bore you. It mostly contains NatsumexMikan fluff, and super duper light RukaxHotaru fluff. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Review please! Criticisms are welcome. Love you all!

**Mikan** **Wears a Bra**

Genre: Romance/Humor/Action

**Chapter 4: Something is Wrong With Mikan!**

Written By: WizdomGoddess

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------o

Mikan always loved being the center of attention, but that instance was a major exception---especially with everybody staring at her newly acquired large D-cup breasts.

"What the hell is that?" Natsume finally spoke, the first and last person who should have broken the uncanny silence inside the classroom. He stared at her chest, startled by its enormity.

"I don't know!" Mikan exclaimed, wishing there was a hole she could crawl into---Natsume was staring at her chest _far_ too long. She felt uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

She blushed in embarrassment and waved her fists in front of him. "Stop staring, you pervert!" she threatened.

_Boing! Boing!_

Shaking her fists did not help much, because along with the gestures her breasts bounced violently. Almost all the male heads in the classroom followed its course of action, following the captivating activity that her breasts were doing. Being Mikan, she didn't notice and continued to frantically explain herself, hoping to regain her dignity.

However, somebody did notice the malevolent stares the other males were sending Mikan. "Stop moving around you idiot," Natsume scolded with a frown. He glared at her, quite annoyed with her outlandish ignorance.

Natsume didn't seem to listen to her explanations. Mikan realized he looked preoccupied and mistook it as indifference on his part. She crossed her arms and pouted.

"Fine! I don't think you can help anyway!" she mumbled, and ran towards her best friend, accompanied by the wild '_ooohs'_ and '_aaahs'_ of her male classmates whose eyes have followed her. Every girl in the room watched apprehensively and bit their lips as the breasts tauntingly bounced yet again.

Mikan cowered at the stares she received from her classmates, trying her best to ignore them. She turned to Hotaru in panic.

"Hotaaaruuu! Heeelp meee!" she wailed, looking at her friend in plea and clasping her uniform with trembling hands. If somebody could help her, it would be Hotaru!

However, Hotaru had something else in her mind. "Mikan, are you wearing a bra?" she asked, brows shooting up to the upper borders of her forehead.

This inquiry stumped everybody---especially Mikan---who looked like she was about to explode from excessive humiliation.

Mikan looked at the expectant crowd before her; her whole body shook in anxiety. How could Hotaru ask that in front of everyone!

Natsume penetrated her with his deep, questioning eyes. Yuu clapped his hands over his mouth; beside him, Nonoko and Anna looked curious. A perturbed Ruka now stood beside Natsume, his face red. The girls gawked at her while the boys had malicious looks fixed on her pair; their behavior confused her even further.

Everyone waited for an answer---all except the sheepishly grinning Kokoroyomi-kun.

"No…" she squeaked.

A hush spread across the room. Yuu looked like he was about to pass out from behind Hotaru; he couldn't stomach weird situations like most boys, who were more lenient with their reactions.

"WOW!" a male voice rang.

That did it. Natsume and Ruka spun their heads and glared threateningly at the rest of the boys in their class. All their classmates took several steps backward in fright, shocked by the sudden deathly aura that emitted from the two. When a weird stench proliferated inside the room, everyone wrinkled their noses and looked around to see where it came from.

It turned out that the boy who bellowed earlier was now running chaotically around the room in a reckless rampage---his pants blazing on fire. His friends chased after him in a drastic attempt to help put it out.

While some watched helplessly at the poor guy, the remainder darted their eyes on Natsume who had a scowl on his face and a ball of fire looming over his palm. Ruka just watched jaded from the sidelines in a silent, dangerous alliance with his friend. They gulped, hoping someone out there still had divine plans for them.

Oblivious to this racket, Mikan kept staring at her feet as a drip of sweat trickled towards her chin. "The bras I bought were too small…" she explained fumbling her fingers, turning scarlet.

Hotaru, being the lucid person that she was, delicately took her friend's hands. She understood the predicament her friend was going through —even Mikan didn't deserve that---no matter how stupid she could be.

"Come on, let's go," she motioned to her friend.

Mikan lifted her eyes and met Hotaru's. "Huh? Where?" she asked, covering her chest with her tightly latched arms.

"To the clinic," Hotaru answered, "I have an idea."

While Hotaru led a flushing Mikan out of the danger zone, Natsume and Ruka stopped glowering at their praying classmates and went back to their seats, eyes fixed on the door where Mikan and Hotaru disappeared.

In the background, the muffled cries of their victim could be heard as Yuu and the others tried to persuade him to calm down. Some of the girls shrieked as the frenzy knocked down several tables rumbling against the floor---the sound of splashing water followed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------o

"Oh Hotaru! You're brilliant!" Mikan squealed in delight.

She lunged towards Hotaru and hugged her thankfully, who in return, tried to shove her away. "Don't scream in my ear, idiot," she replied, whipping out a large hand-shaped device and slapped her clingy friend with it; this sent Mikan flying into the wall.

"Hotaaruu…you're…mean…whyyyy…." Mikan cried as she gradually slipped from the wall, the mechanical hand still connected to her face.

"If I knew you were going to cling all over me, I would've kept my mouth shut," Hotaru told her with no trace of regret and continued her walk towards the cafeteria. A few seconds later, she was again joined by a moping Mikan; she trailed behind her friend cupping her sore, bloated cheeks.

"But Hotaru!" she persisted, eyes twinkling gratefully, "You saved me! I never imagined bandages could actually be used as a substitute for a bra! I learn so much from you!" Several heads turned towards them in the hallway from the aforementioned term.

Hotaru felt a headache coming. "You don't have to talk so loud, stupid," she sighed. She wondered if the girl had even considered how bad her situation was; she realized it was a dead-end question because the answer would most probably be no.

Hotaru decided to ignore her babbling friend all throughout the way.

Once they entered the cafeteria, Mikan spotted Misaki and Tsubasa laughing at a joke one of them probably told. They were sitting in a nearby table and she immediately rushed towards them.

"MIIIISAAAAAAKIIII! TSUUBAAASAAAAA!" she yelled, waving an arm cheerfully as she approached.

When the couple heard their names being called, they lifted their heads and saw Mikan drawing near them---but their attention instantly turned to her huge, bouncing boobs.

_Boing! Boing!_

Their eyes bulged out of their sockets. Tsubasa fell off his chair hitting his head while Misaki stood up rigidly in deep shock.

"Oh my god, Mikan!" Misaki choked, placing her palm over her forehead in disbelief, "What in the world happened to you!"

Drops of tears formed at the corner of her eyes. "I don't know either! They just…grew!" she complained, seeking comfort. Tsubasa had a dubious look on his features; he watched as the younger girl lobbed her arms on an equally freaked-out Misaki.

"I'm wearing bandages right now. The undergarment I bought became too small for me…" she continued. Hotaru, who finally caught up with her, positioned herself at her side. Mikan grew quiet, unsure of what to say next, feeling she had just said something weird.

"You're going to need to buy a set of new ones," Hotaru conveyed, looking her usual eloquent self.

Mikan looked even more troubled upon hearing Hotaru's statement of reality. She sniffed.

Tsubasa and Misaki looked at each other. With sympathetic looks, both slightly nodded to express that they understood the situation. "That must be a real bummer," Tsubasa said empathically, trying his best not chuckle as Misaki shot him a warning look.

He looked away with a grin and thoughtfully rubbed his chin. "We should find out who did that to you. One thing's for sure, that couldn't be the effect of another alice, considering you have a nullifying alice," he pointed out.

Misaki nodded and animatedly winked at Mikan. "But for the meantime," she continued, "Let's go on a trip to Central Town after all our classes and buy you a new set! You can't run around here in plain bandages under your uniform. Consider it a gift from me and this time, no BUTS." She turned to Tsubasa. "You'll escort us, Tsubasa?"

Tsubasa agreed. "Ofcourse," he replied, grinning at her.

Mikan soared through the air happily. "Oh Thank you! You guys are the best!" she said, jumping up and down with excitement, totally forgetting that she had an extra-large addition to her body.

_Boing! Boing!_

Numerous surprised yells and commotions suddenly came from various directions as young men spewed nosebleeds on their respective tables.

Misaki, Tsubasa and Hotaru sweated.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------o

Natsume and Ruka sat beside each other eating their lunch and enjoying the peaceful solitude of the open air outside the school building: but that was probably the only thing they enjoyed from where they sat.

"Natsume, I don't think she's aware of being ogled by those guys," Ruka imparted as he popped a good chunk of tonkatsu in his mouth, a pang of irritation in his tone.

They watched as two of their male classmates approached a reading Mikan on the bench and sat on either side of her. She didn't seem to mind because after a while, they were already engaged in an animated conversation. He tightly gripped his chopsticks as their two classmates shot knowing looks at each other, wicked grins on their faces.

"Hey, your chopsticks are about to break," Natsume said, glancing at his distraught friend. Natsume watched him flinch and deliberately took a sip from his juice.

Ruka jumped and loosened his grip on the endangered utensils.

He let out a heavy sigh. Maybe he was being too egocentric about the whole situation. He realized all he did since that morning was to think about the peculiar growth spurt that happened to Mikan. The way other guys flocked around her like bees to honey was exasperating---especially since he knew they were only after her to check out her chest. He had secretly asked helped from his little animal friends while Natsume set fire to anybody who attempted to hit on her.

Ruka glimpsed at Natsume, who seemed equally unstable.

"I'm going to talk to her," Natsume said suddenly.

"Natsume…?" Ruka began but trailed off. Natsume had turned to look at him, telepathically advising him not to follow. He decided not to interrogate any further and just watched him walk away.

Ruka stared at his retreating back, wondering what Natsume was up to now. He descended and rested his back on the ground against the green pasture beneath him. Whatever his friend had in mind, he didn't wish to bother him. Ruka slowly closed his eyes, recalling how important their friendship was to him…

"You look unhappy."

Ruka jolted in alarm with a startled howl. "Imai…" he muttered. _Kami-sama, not her…_he thought, his mind flashing the different times she blackmailed him with his most embarrassing moments.

His face contorted. "You scared me."

Hotaru shot him a teasing look, quite satisfied with his earlier violent reaction. "I think that's pretty obvious," she replied, settling beside him.

Awkward silence leered between them. Ruka did not feel like talking to her and kept quiet, staring at the sluggish movement of the clouds. He heard her stir beside him and before he realized it, she had also laid on the ground a few feet away from him. They stayed that way for a while.

"Is that really okay with you?" she brought up with her usual resonance.

"What are you talking about?" he replied.

"About Natsume and Mikan being alone together---you're not jealous?"

Ruka found himself reddening. Hotaru was one blunt girl.

He rotated his head and found her glazed, lavender eyes staring at him. "I-It's none of your business," he frowned.

"You really like suffering, don't you?" was her unyielding come back from his antagonism.

"Just leave me alone!" he exclaimed stubbornly.

She didn't answer. They stared at each other. Hotaru looked as if she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon----she had seen through his suspicious display of avoidant behavior.

"L-Look, I'm sorry, just go away okay?" he pleaded to the ebony-haired girl.

Hotaru sighed and tore her gaze from his azure blue eyes towards the skies. "You're jumpier than usual," she stated wryly, clasping her hands over her petite stomach and added, "Sometimes, you're such a wuss."

"…W-Whatever."

He grumbled while she seemed mused. Both stared at the heaps of clouds that hovered over their miniature forms. Ruka heard the faint clatter of fallen leaves and twigs; he listened to the gentle wind whisper words of solace in his ears. He barely sensed the lightness of her comforting touch as she placed her hand over his. They stayed that way---this time a little longer.

For the first time that day, Ruka felt his heart ease a bit.

"Imai," he uttered.

"What?"

"Thanks."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------o

Mikan was talking with two boys from her class when horrified looks spread across their faces. She turned to see who they were looking at and saw Natsume peering over her at a dangerous proximity; she could practically feel his knee against her own. Natsume glared at her companions who fled in a matter of seconds, leaving them alone.

"Stupid," he greeted, an unpleasant ring to his voice.

"What do you want from me now?" she demanded, scooting as far away as she could from him towards the other side of the bench.

"I want to talk to you," he replied, his eyes permeating hers. "Privately."

"Why should I?" she retorted, her tone oozing with sarcasm.

Without another word and to her utter surprise, Natsume grabbed her hand, pulled her up to her feet, and forcefully dragged her away into the forest. She tried to break free from his grasp but he tightened his hold even more. She yelled in protest and shouted for help but nobody seemed to hear with the pace they were going---who knew how far he had taken her?

In addition, with Natsume as her attacker, if people did hear---those people would probably just chicken out and run away. She groaned in defeat realizing her attempts were futile. She let herself be dragged away while she glared at the back of his head. What does he want from her now!

"Natsume! Where are you taking me!" she whined, stumbling as he dragged her.

When he finally stopped, he yanked her in front of him with her back against a tree, slamming his hands on either side of her. Mikan was trapped between his stretched arms; she had nowhere to go.

"You. Don't spite me," he warned, narrowing his eyes.

She pressed her back hard against its bark, hoping the tree would magically disappear so she could get away. "What do you mean? What did I do to you!" she guzzled, searching his eyes for a sign of mercy—if there was any.

He moved closer. "Are you playing with me? Did you do this on purpose?" he asked with a menacing gleam in his eye.

His questions stabbed her. What! She couldn't believe he thought that low of her! Tears brimmed in her eyes, obviously hurt. She then felt that her exhaustion from the events that morning slowly got the better of her; however, she stood her ground.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Mikan shot back angrily. She glared at him, crossing her arms against the bottom of her bossom in a defensive gesture, and looked away.

"Look Natsume, if you have a problem with my chest it's not my fault! When they were small, you said they're flat. Now they're big for some unknown bogus reason, and you think I'm tricking you," She heaved, her voice cracked, fighting a sob. "What do you really…"

She was cut off when she felt that his hands had glided from her sides and enclosed her neck, pulling her in a warm embrace. Mikan gasped in shock.

Her body instantly got petrified by his touch. There was something different with the way he held her: it seemed more---affectionate.

"N-Natsume?" she managed to speak, her voice had softened. Her logic was screaming at her that 'Natsume' and 'Affectionate' do not mix; but then, he detained her so gently that she couldn't think properly anymore.

She felt her heart pound wildly, confusing her. "N-Natsume!" she said, turning ruby red.

"You…" his voice emanated near her ear, deepening as he continued, "You didn't have to change."

There was something in his tone that astounded her, enough to shut her up. While Mikan was busy figuring out what he meant, Natsume released her from the embrace. "When I find out who's responsible for this stupid joke…," he added, turning his back to her, "…I'll kill him."

When the word 'kill' registered in Mikan's head, her face grew panicky. "What!" she exclaimed, but realized she was talking to no one.

Natsume had disappeared and left her.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------o

The following morning, Hotaru watched as the teacher buzzed about in front of the class while writing lectures on the blackboard---nothing he said seemed to enter her mind today. She glanced at the empty seat beside her---Mikan was absent.

_What is she doing? Where is she?_, came so many questions in her mind but none of her assumptions seemed fit enough to explain her sudden disappearance. She had asked Yuu, Nonoko, Anna and even Sumire but they didn't know where she was either. A few seats away from Hotaru were Ruka and Natsume, staring at her friend's vacant desk.

"Natsume…did something happen yesterday?" Ruka asked his companion in a low whisper.

Before Natsume could answer, the front door of the classroom swung open. There stood Mr. Misaki, breathing heavily in the doorway as if he had just run a marathon. His face was pale and he looked extremely troubled.

"Something is wrong….with one of your students…Mikan Sakura….her alice…," he managed to verbalize in between heaves. His face grew serious. "Hurry! Come with me to the dormitory! "

"What!" Their teacher immediately dropped his chalk and fled with Misaki. When they disappeared, everybody was stunned.

"Mikan…" Hotaru murmured, a look of determination crossed her face and ran out the door after the teachers.

"Hotaru, wait!" Yuu called but she was already gone. Natsume, Ruka, and Yuu who looked equally bewildered, followed immediately, running after Hotaru.

When they reached the dormitory, they found a group of teachers and special-ability students crowded outside Mikan's room. They all looked worried. In front of the crowd was Narumi, his face was grim.

"Teacher!" Yuu cried out as they approached him. Narumi turned to see four familiar faces approaching him. They halted alongside of him panting a great deal.

Hotaru abruptly turned to Narumi, who had returned staring at the door. "Teacher, what's wrong with Mikan?" she asked, very much vexed.

Narumi sighed, his palms running through his hair as he seemingly tried to think. "Mikan had locked herself up inside the room and refused to come out," he explained, shaking his head.

Misaki stepped forward, looking worried herself. "Her room has double locks so it's impossible to get in! We tried the window but strangely enough it was gone. We tried to persuade her but she's really stubborn," she continued for Narumi, "And Mikan seemed to have unknowingly nullified her whole room."

"We couldn't open the door with the help of the technical types or the influence of the latent types. We couldn't use our alices," he finished, scraping his head. Narumi nodded in confirmation. The teachers looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

They watched anxiously when Hotaru raced towards the door and banged on it. "Mikan! Answer me!" she shouted.

"H-Hotaru?" a feminine voice cracked from the other side of the room.

"Mikan! Please, open the door!" she insisted.

"I-I-I can't! I don't know what's happening to me…" Mikan replied, her voice muffled and tired.

Ruka and Yuu joined Hotaru. "Mikan! Your alice must be reacting to your emotions!" Ruka barked, pounding the door a couple of times with his fist.

"R-Ruka-pyon?" she sniffled.

"Listen to me. E-Everything's going to be okay, Mikan," he told her gently. "Trust me."

Hotaru eyed him, and smiled a little at his sweet gesture towards her friend. She turned to Natsume who had his fists clenched and saw deep agitation present in his eyes. Narumi seemed to have developed an interest in observing him as well.

Natsume approached the door while Ruka and Hotaru gave way for him.

"You idiot! Why don't you think straight for once!" he shouted, frowning at the door.

"Natsume!" Mikan wheezed.

"Look, just calm down. We're here for you. Don't worry us like this," he said, his voice sounded calm.

"Natsume…"

The spectators blinked in surprise, pondering how on earth the term "worry" stumbled from the mouth of the dangerous-ability type pyromaniac. Ruka was taken aback by the way his friend just consoled her in front of everyone. His features turned solemn, lips pressed together in a thin line.

Hotaru pulled out a weird-looking key. "Invention Number 232, functional all-around key. Could open any door no matter how many locks keeps it closed," she demonstrated out-of-the-blue, plugged the key into the doorknob and turned it. It was followed by a clicking sound. It worked.

Everybody sighed in relief. Mikan must have unconsciously stopped using her alice upon hearing her friends.

Hotaru pushed the creaking door open while the rest of the teachers and students peeked in. The moment Hotaru saw Mikan, she stopped in her tracks and gasped.

Mikan was sobbing piteously looking very upset, her hands and thighs dripping with blood---the sheets of her bed stained with it as well. While everybody reacted at the gruesome sight, she felt two tall blurs dash past her.

Hotaru saw Natsume and Ruka appear at her side, grave looks surfaced on their handsome features---both were trembling and eyes dilating.

The teachers simultaneously came in the room, horror-struck.

"Who the hell did this?" Natsume growled.

"I-I don't know!"

"You're bleeding and you don't know!"

As they squabbled, Ruka sat beside the girl who wept against his now-crinkled uniform.

Ruka didn't feel right for some reason. He carefully studied the blood scattered all over her hands, thighs and bed sheet. She didn't seem to have any injury and the bulk of the clot came from the middle of her thighs. A theory occurred to him and his body went stiff.

When Hotaru reached them, he moved his gaze towards her and she seemed to have realized it as well.

"Pe-riod," she pronounced, giving him a warning look.

"Aaaah!" Ruka shouted in disbelief, his hands flew from Mikan's shoulders and jumped off the bed, startling Natsume.

Everything seemed to happen so fast, everybody started talking at once. Hotaru watched while Narumi dragged a half-conscious Natsume to exit the room just after using his alice on the protesting young man. Ruka trailed behind, his whole body had an interesting shade of burgundy. Tsubasa and Yuu were pushed out by Harada, scolding the curious boys not to get involved with a girl thing.

Hotaru poked her best friend, beads of sweat hung on her forehead.

It seems like Mikan has finally learned the word "menstruation."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------o

**To be continued…**

**This chapter is still in the process of revision, if you see an error or more, it'll be much appreciated! Thanks!**

**Chapter 5: **Akito appears again! Mikan demands an answer from him. The plot thickens as Narumi and Youchi helps Natsume, Ruka and Hotaru find out the explanation to the strange occurrences surrounding Mikan.

**End Notes: **Waaaaa…this chapter is long…I hope the pacing and development didn't bore you guys though. I hope it wasn't too long. This fanfic will probably have four more chapters, including the ending. Yup! We're half-way there. I'm not used to writing anything with a plot or a climax so I spend a lot of time racking my brains for ideas. It'll take a while so I hope you guys won't get tired of waiting, hehehe. All I've been writing for the past four years are essays, articles, research reports…and other school/work-related stuff. When I started my first GA fanfic, I then knew that I was already addicted to this anime (hahaha!) and that I could not get enough of the MikanxNatsume and RukaxMikan pairings (woohoo!). Yes, I'm desperate. I love reading other fanfics too (especially the ones about my favorite pairings) so expect me to hop around the GA category most of the time! Love yah all! (waves I love Ruka flag)


	5. Chapter 5: Truth about Secret Admirers!

_Puberty takes its toll! Mikan is growing up…with Natsume constantly insulting her flat-chest. However, when someone made Mikan's chest-size bigger, wearing a bra didn't seem such a big deal anymore…especially since suitors flocked everywhere—much to Natsume and Ruka's annoyance. NxMxR. R&R! Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice. I'm just here to bully the characters.**

**Author's Notes: **I am aware that some of you were probably grossed out from the last chapter so I'll make it up by inserting more mushiness from hereon. Gomen gomen! This has a lot of RukaxMikan fluff and minor AkitoxMikan fluff. I'm saving the NatsumexMikan mushiness for later. Review please! Thanks!

Akito shows up again and becomes closer to Mikan. Rumors started to go around that Mikan has a boyfriend—much to Natsume and Ruka's resentment. Natsume, Ruka, and Hotaru decide to investigate the strange happenings around Mikan _and_ find out who the heck this Akito is---with the help of Youichi and Narumi. However, Akito isn't who you think he is---the three begin to worry for her safety. What's going on? Read to find out! Hope you will enjoy this chapter!

**Mikan** **Wears a Bra**

Genre: Romance/Humor/Action

**Chapter 5: The Truth about Secret Admirers!**

Written By: WizdomGoddess

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Mikan sighed in exasperation.

It has been three whole days since her period began. Of all the mishaps she had been through, it was probably the worst and most disgusting experience of her life---so far at least.

Her cheeks flushed from the memory. _Whyyy_ _did that have to happen!…Natsume and Ruka saw me! It's so embarrassing! _Her rueful thoughts raged as a nauseous feeling took over her body. She couldn't believe Natsume and Ruka trampled inside her room in such an awkward situation---again!

"I hate growing up!" she hollered to nobody in particular.

The classes for that day were finally over. Mikan had planned to spend the whole day lazing among the proud motif of trees just near the school; it was about time she spent time alone with herself.

It's not like she had any other choice---everybody seemed to be busy that day. Hotaru had gunned her down to stop following her towards an appointment with a sponsor. When she turned to Yuu, he claimed he had to help out the Physics Club with their monthly calendar. Nonoko and Anna were working on their latest concoctions. Ruka was assigned to clean the stables and Natsume was nowhere to be found.

Mikan noticed a beautiful patch of roses that had bloomed among the bushes just a few feet away. It was the perfect spot to relax! She immediately scampered towards it and lied down on the soothing layer of grass, enjoying its feel against her back. She smiled to herself. She happily gazed at the creative gaps of leaves that helped produce a wondrous array of colorful lights, waltzing among the sprouts of branches; seemingly trying to reach towards the heavens.

She knew her long pale hair had scattered over the earth where she rested. The faint scent of roses, tangerines, and raspberries swaggered in the air and tickled her nostrils as she closed her eyes. _It smells nice_, she thought peacefully, _That shampoo Nonoko gave me smells very nice._ It was indeed, because the sweet pleasant aroma from her mane tempted her to sink deeper into her consciousness. Mikan remembered sniffing the same fragrance from Nonoko's hair non-stop, prepping her friend on giving her a bottle of her own; it was also the same day Ruka and Natsume had invaded her room seeing her without any clothes. Natsume had also called her flat-chested that night, the jerk---what was his problem?

_You didn't have to change._

His words echoed in her ears. What did he mean by that? It sounded so much like remorse but coming from Natsume, it only confused her more. It didn't seem possible. But he does have a soft side to him, she reminded herself. He was always there when she was in trouble. He was there when she needed a confidant. She had always liked that part about him.

"Natsume…" she murmured out loud, silently contemplating his fickle attitude.

She knew a shadow was hovering over her, even with her eyes closed. It stayed longer than expected and she forced herself to open her eyes.

"What the..?" she mumbled, her sight still murky.

She heard an awfully familiar chuckle. "Natsume, huh? Is he your boyfriend?"

Her vision interestingly cleared. A pair of fierce crimson eyes snared down at hers.

_Akito!_

Akito was peering over her, an amused look on his face.

"Waaah! Not you!" she cried out, turning livid.

Akito looked offended. "Whoa, I didn't mean to scare you!" he rattled at the delirious girl, his eyes intentionally glided towards her chest. He let out a nasty chortle, tears of mirth in his eyes. "What is thaaaat! You actually grew boobs?" he exclaimed, pointing at her ever-so-bouncy chest.

Mikan felt her temper flare as he conjured up an innocent face. "Don't pretend you don't know!" she pouted.

Akito finally stopped laughing and grinned at her. "What do you mean?" he answered, almost child-like.

"You're such a liar!"

"Are you accusing me? I have nothing to do with your boobs!" he protested, looking hurt. "You're being unfair!"

"That's not what I meant!" Mikan continued in anger, wondering why in the world he would think she would accuse him of something like that. "A few days ago you told me Misaki was your cousin, but it was all a lie!" She glared at him. "Why did you deceive me like that?" Her eyes marred with betrayal. She looked very upset.

"…"

Akito looked somber and regretful. "Mikan…I'm really sorry that I lied to you," he said, eyes seeking for forgiveness, "I needed an excuse so you'll open up to me. I was afraid you won't take me seriously that time, especially from the way you freaked-out when I mentioned your name." A blush emerged on his cheeks and he looked away.

"So you're a stalker now? Why would you do that?" she asked, quite feebly.

Akito shook his head; his alluring smile seemed to entice her. "More like an exposed secret admirer," he admitted, looking straight into her eyes. This surprised Mikan because nobody has ever confessed to her before---much more a secret admirer! She looked away, embarrassed.

He sat next to her, his hand moved smoothly over hers. "I've been watching you from afar since I entered this academy, that's around last semester," he explained, face now matching the color of his eyes. "I want to at least be friends with you." His tone grew sad. "But if you don't want to anymore…then I understand."

Mikan watched him stare at his feet, looking grim. She dug deeper into her flurried thoughts. He seemed sincere enough; and besides, maybe he wasn't too bad---now that he was being honest and all. The guy looked nervous with her silence. She sighed and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Akito, I would be happy to be your friend," she finally replied.

His eyes lit up right away. "Really? Now that we're at it, can I be your boyfriend?"

What was this guy talking about? Mikan wondered. It was a good thing that her instincts knew better.

"Don't push it buddy," her tongue automatically slipped.

"Awww!"

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There was a fire spreading in Alice Academy.

However, Natsume has nothing to do with it---much more, never started it.

Rumors spread like wild fire that Mikan Sakura has been sneaking around the school grounds meeting up with a mysterious, handsome young man who seemed to be a student in the academy.

Rumor has it that he was her boyfriend.

"Hey! Is it true? Is it true?"

"I saw her with this really handsome guy!"

"Yeah! They were acting so sweet towards each other too!"

Natsume and Ruka watched as the huddled girls engaged in their daily gossip, displeasure crystal clear on their faces. Natsume let out a low growl at the girls, who jumped in fright when they saw him staring ferociously at them to get out of their way. Once they have passed by them, Ruka heard their yelps transform into prissy squeals shrieking their names. Both boys ignored them.

They already had one particular girl in their minds---and they weren't happy with the way things were going.

Ruka noticed that Natsume was more contemplative than usual. He seemed to be racking something from his thoughts; he could tell from the way his brows creased. He wanted to know what his best friend had in mind.

"Hey, Natsume," he asked, glancing to his sides. He noticed that his friend's wide shoulders were slumped. "Are you thinking about her?"

Natsume lifted his head and turned to him. "Why are you asking me all of a sudden?" he replied, taken aback at first but recovered shortly after.

"I think you know something about that guy who's involved with Mikan."

Natsume paused. "Maybe. It's more like an assumption though," he answered, with a shrug.

Natsume surveyed the halls, in search for the subject of their conversation. At the end of their classes, Mikan would usually bug him about trivial things but since the rumors began, she seemed to have disappeared. At first, he thought he could care less but gradually, he found himself acting grumpy towards everyone, ever since her attention towards him wavered. He knew of only one suspect in the case of her frequent vanishing acts---that Akito Takahashi, the name he overheard over a week ago.

The first time he laid eyes on the scarlet-eyed boy, he knew something was different about him. He sensed that the guy possessed a strange aura that dimly radiated a precarious type of obscure darkness.

Who was this Akito? Where did he come from?

Ruka watched silently while Natsume glared at another harmless wall. His friend was definitely acting weird and he knew why. There was no question about it: Mikan's presence was important to Natsume---as much as to him.

"Boo," Hotaru popped out from behind him.

"AAAH!" Ruka jumped, much to the delight of his attacker. "Stop doing that Imai!" he demanded, still shuddering from the aftershock.

"If you keep jumping like that, you'll end up in the hospital one of these days," she replied with a bantering smile.

Ruka glowered at Hotaru, who didn't seem to be bothered the least bit. "If I do end up there, it'll be your fault," he retorted.

Hotaru shot him a bored look. "I think that's about to change."

"RUUUUUUUKAAAAAA!" a recognizable energetic voice rang in his ear. "So this is where you guys are!"

_Mikan_…, he identified subconsciously. His heart started to pound wildly. The next thing Ruka knew, a pair of arms had flung over his shoulders from behind him, skimming around his neck.

Ruka turned around and realized Mikan was dangling on his back, using his neck as support; her face peeped over his right shoulder in such a close distance that he felt the softness of her supple cheek press against his.

Ruka did the only one thing he could do in such a situation---freeze.

Ruka saw Hotaru give him an I-told-you-so look while he noticed Natsume twitch. However, their reactions didn't bother him at the moment. What disturbed him was the tender pair of Mikan's frontal areas that were irrefutably squashed against his rigid back. He sweated like a pig, feeling his body grow excited again.

Ruka turned a bright, glowing shade of red. "Um…Mikan…your…um…I feel…um…" he stammered, feeling puffs of smoke coming out of his ears.

"What is it? Can you say that again?" Mikan asked, still dangling on his back. Ruka sweated more rapidly; he had stopped breathing seconds ago.

Hotaru had covered her mouth examining them in pure amusement; beside her, Natsume was unsmiling but made no comment. To Ruka's relief—and slight disappointment---Mikan realized Hotaru was there and instantly leapt from his back towards Hotaru.

"HOTTAAAAAAAARUUUU!" she dove towards her emotionless best friend, arms extended into the open air, all googly-eyed. Hotaru felt a vein pop on her head when Mikan rubbed her cheek against hers eagerly. She took out a big Japanese paper fan and whapped it on the head of her friend using all her strength.

"The Idiot Whapper, designed to stop idiots from doing idiotic things," Hotaru explained to an invisible audience. Natsume and Ruka looked at each other and lifted their brows at her---and they thought Mikan was weird.

"Owwww! Hotaru, that hurt!"

"Idiot," Hotaru muttered, as she watched a huge bump develop on the top of Mikan's head, "Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Oh Hotaru! You were looking for me! You're so sweet!" Mikan replied happily.

"Don't be stupid. I just need that 50 rabbits you owe me," Hotaru simply said, jerking her open palm in front of her face, "Pay up."

Mikan face faulted. _That Hotaru!_ She thought, quite upset by her friend's lack of concern. However, the rest of her thoughts were interrupted when a commotion at the corner of the hallway distracted their little group.

The rest of the students around them started whispering to each other, some seemed interested but most seemed fearful. She realized that even Natsume seemed defensive.

Mikan followed their gazes until she saw two male students turn from the corner and slowly approached from where they stood. Silence seemed to have enveloped the hall as the two walked past them.

She was able to distinguish that the taller boy was at most a year older than her. She couldn't help but discern how his golden eyes glimmered like the surface of an ordinary stone. His face was stern and seemed to have grown out of anger, that's for sure. His posture was proud and could intimidate anybody who crossed his path. The way the strands of his short-silver hair fell over his face suited the color of his eyes. There was something solemn yet peaceful in the atmosphere that surrounded him.

He walked quietly, hand in hand with an elementary school student who had a frown embellished on his handsome features. She guessed the boy was around 10-years of age, a few feet shorter than her. His eyes were also golden, a sharp contrast from the deep ebony color of his messy hair. She admired how much the little boy almost looked like a girl, just like Ruka when he was his age.

Both boys unexpectedly rotated their heads, eyes directed at Mikan.

_Waaaah! Why are they looking at me! _Mikan cried to herself, completely bewildered. She felt odd as they stared at her. To her surprise, Natsume stepped half-way in front of her, directly in the path of their sight—partly blocking her from their view. His eyes met theirs in an acute manner until they entered a room at the far-end of the hall.

_Is it just me or…did Natsume just…protect me?_ she thought, blushing as she stared at him with incredulity.

"Whatever you do, stay away from those two," Natsume said all of a sudden, the tone in his voice dead-serious.

Ruka nodded to indicate compliance. "I know. I've heard of them---those two are brothers aren't they?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Mikan asked curiously, quite interested, "I want to know more about them!"

Natsume glared at her. "Don't be stupid, that's the last thing you want to do," he cautioned her, crossing his arms and looking at her in disapproval. "Even I don't know what kind of persons they are, although they're also dangerous ability types."

Mikan blinked. Dangerous-ability types! It's no wonder Natsume seemed apprehensive a while ago.

Ruka turned to where the two disappeared and grimaced as he explained further.

"That tall guy is Hajime Ikashita, wielder of the puppeteer alice."

Mikan imagined a different kind of puppeteering. "Puppeteer Alice? How did that become dangerous?" she asked, very confused.

Natsume groaned. "Stupid woman, it's not what you're thinking---with that simple mind of yours," he continued before she could protest, "He could comatose numerous people and use his Alice to completely take over and control their bodies---all at once. He could control them into killing others or themselves." He watched as her features grew upset. Finally, she understood.

Mikan was devastated---and she thought Natsume was already bad enough! She was surprised that there were guys like those two from the dangerous ability types.

"How about the little boy?" Hotaru queried, joining in the conversation.

Ruka shook his head. "I have no idea what his Alice is, nobody in the school knows except his older brother and those with authority in this school ofcourse," Ruka replied, moving his gaze from Hotaru to Mikan.

Mikan had begun fiddling with her fingers.

"Oh that's true! I even heard he's quite skillful with potions!" somebody butted in.

The four lifted their eyes and saw that Narumi, their former teacher was standing behind Mikan. He nodded his head thoughtfully as he held his chin between his fingers. "And where the hell did _you_ come from?" Natsume said rudely, narrowing his eyes at him.

"Oh I just saw you talking to each other with serious looks on your faces. I just had to join in to see what's wrong," Narumi exclaimed with a smile, tweaking his fingers at him. "Besides, I'm here to help Mikan with her little…er…big problem," he looked at her inflated chest and sweated. His smile disappeared as quickly as it came. "I have a hunch Hajime is somehow connected to your problem, Mikan."

"What!"

His features grew firm. "You see, Hajime is the only one in this school who is quite talented with poisons," he explained, and lured his gaze towards the windows. "With your improved nullifying alice-ability, potions or poisons by technical types created by an alice shouldn't work on you Mikan. But there's a possibility that the ones Hajime makes could, since he doesn't use an alice to create one."

Mikan gulped. She looked shocked. "Are you saying I was poisoned?" she asked, looking doubtful. Then a dreadful thought occurred to her. "I am going to die!" she shrieked and started to panic, shaking her head in hysteria. She remembered the way the two boys had stared at her.

'Whyyy! Whyyy him? I'm doomed! I don't remember doing anything wrong!"

"No no! You're not going to die, Mikan! You were not spiked by poisons that kill you. I'm thinking of a milder one," he explained then sighed, "But I'm not sure what. You need to find someone who could snoop around for you. Someone he trusts…"

"Youichi."

Everybody turned questioningly at Natsume, who had suddenly spoken up. He looked definite.

"Youichi hangs around with the younger brother."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------o

Ruka was on his way to the stables to visit his animal friends---probably the only place in the academy where he could get some peace and quiet besides his room.

Peace…

That's a far fetched term to describe his emotions at the moment.

Ruka frowned, remembering the events that transpired that afternoon. How is Hajime connected to Mikan? And why the heck would he want her to have a bigger chest of **all** things? He was worried sick that he may be planning something that would hurt her. All they could do is patiently wait for Youichi to report on what he finds out from Hajime. And if Hajime did plan something that would harm her---he would never let that happen.

He sighed. He didn't like to be left hanging---he wanted answers.

A frightened scream rang from not too far away. He could recognize that voice even from a mile away. _That was Mikan!_ He thought in astonishment. She must be in trouble! He ran after the direction where it originated.

When he got there, he saw amid the clearing surrounded by trees, a group of senior girls around a furious, shaking Mikan. His eyes widened at the large bruise embedded on her arm. Obviously, they had been fighting as he could see that blades of grass were all over the uniform of the girl.

"What did I do to you?" he heard Mikan demand from the clique, voice trembling.

One of the other girls placed her hands on her hips. "You think we don't know what you're up to, imagine making your own chest bigger to get attention!" she laughed sarcastically, and added. "How low can you get? Stop flaunting around you airhead!"

"I told you! I don't know why the heck I got these in the first place!"

He saw another girl roll her eyes. "Shut up you bitch! Stop acting so innocent!" she said furiously, "You're just a tramp!"

"T-Tramp?"

A look of confusion and hurt brushed on Mikan's face. He saw her lips quivered and she seemed to be holding back tears. He narrowed his eyes at the sight in displeasure and decided to step in---Mikan plus a group of jealous girls and a bruise to boot isn't what he would call a good situation.

Ruka stepped forward revealing himself and whistled, looking intently at the group of girls who looked befuddled.

"Ruka!" Mikan exclaimed.

The sound of a squawk resonated from a distance. All of a sudden, a giant eagle swept down on the group of girls who had been bullying Mikan. It flew swiftly up into the air and dove for them, hitting the top of their heads with its claws repeatedly to scare them away. Once they were out of sight, Ruka approached an exhausted Mikan. She looked up at him gratefully.

"Ruka…thank you," she started to sob, wrapping her arms around him. He flushed but quickly regained composure so he could comfort the trembling girl. He held on to her and let her sob on his shoulder. He placed a hand at the back of her head, realizing that Mikan seemed to be having a difficult time with the curse she has been dealing with for over a week.

With a sympathetic look, he smiled and brushed a tear from her eye. "Come on. Let's do something about that bruise in the stables."

With his reassurance, Mikan nodded and smiled. "Okay." She answered, clasping his hand in hers. Ruka blushed.

When they reached the stables, Ruka got his emergency first-aid kit and tended to her wound.

"Ow!" Mikan cried. "Ruka, that hurt!"

He gently swabbed the cotton soaked with medicine on her injury. "I'm sorry, it'll sting at first but I promise that it will heal right away," he reassured her. He felt her gaze linger on him, and felt the blood rushing up his cheeks again.

"Thank you Ruka. For helping me, I owe you one," her voice sounded very gentle as she spoke to him.

"I-It was nothing." Ruka managed to reply, trying to concentrate his attention to the nasty wound on her arm.

"You know, Ruka. I feel happy when you're around. When I talk to you, I feel so comfortable! You and Natsume are always there for me when I need you…" she trailed off. Ruka watched her blush timidly, trying to avoid his eyes. The cow in one of the partitions let out a moo while the rest of the animals watched them curiously. Some of the chicks have throttled towards Ruka and playfully peeked at his red face.

Silence cultivated between them.

Mikan tried to peep at Ruka's face but his bangs seemed to have hidden it well. "Er..Ruka, are you okay?" she asked in concern.

"Mikan…" Ruka began to speak, his voice unusually formal.

Mikan blinked. "Yes?" she asked, moving closer to him to get a better look at his face. Why wouldn't he look at her?

"Have you…ever fallen in love with someone?"

Mikan blinked yet again---the question baffled her. Why was he asking her this all of a sudden? She decided to search her thoughts about what she understood of love.

"Well, I guess not. To be honest, until now I really don't know anything about falling in love," she answered him, staring at her skirt as she spaced out. She felt her heart beat a little faster; her cheeks must have turned pink by now. For some reason, she felt a little shy having that kind of talk with a boy. She tried talking to Hotaru about it but her friend always said she was 'too dense to understand' in the end.

When Mikan broke out of her trance, she found that Ruka was now gazing at her with his deep, sea-blue eyes; his eyes had a certain unusual intensity in them but she decided to just shrug it off.

"Um…so, do you have someone you love Ruka?" she asked, hoping her prying would be alright with him.

"Yes. But she doesn't know how I feel yet."

Mikan looked excited. "Wow! You should tell her! So who is she…" her voice trailed off when she realized that his approaching proximity towards her face has come to an end, with his lips firmly sealed on hers.

_What the…?_ She found her heart racing inside her as she felt Ruka crawl closer to her body. _Oh my gosh! He's kissing me! Why is he kissing me!_ She felt dizzy from her disoriented thoughts, a bit grateful that his hand has cupped the side of her face to support her.

Mikan felt his lips move against hers in a sweet shift of heightened passion, slowly devouring what was left of her sanity in that particular circumstance. Her sensitive skin tingled all over as his hands groped for hers on the still layer of earth. Her eyes shut closed as his lips attempted to part her mouth. As the kiss deepened, he let out a pleased moan.

An eternity later, Ruka released her lips and stared at her. He found himself absorbed in her astounded eyes. She was looking at him questioningly. He watched her eyes widen even further as he spoke.

"You're the one I've fallen in love with, Mikan."

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Youichi marched towards a tightly shut door and stared at it anxiously. His friends had convinced him to snoop around the laboratory owned by Hajime, its whereabouts that only Youichi and his younger brother knew. He gulped.

Hajime would surely lose it if he gets caught, and he didn't want to end up fighting against him. He was a little bit taller and a little bit older now. But more importantly, he was a little wiser than face an opponent who was much stronger than him.

_This is for Natsume…this is for Natsume…_he constantly reminded himself. If it wasn't for Natsume who had taken care of him since he was a child, he wouldn't put up with Narumi's crazy idea. Youichi knew of his feelings towards Mikan, and he would do anything to lend him a hand.

He inserted the all-around-functional key that Hotaru lent him and he heard several clicks from behind the door. He pushed it open and entered the lair filled with bottles, properly labeled chemicals, and…wooden puppets?

Youichi looked around suspiciously. What is Hajime going to do with those wooden puppets? This was the first time he had entered the laboratory so he really didn't know what went in the mind of that man. He sneaked in and quietly closed the door behind him. He fumbled for the switch that he found hidden behind a coat hanging from a suspender. The lights flickered open.

To his utter shock, it revealed several pictures posted all over a wall---and they were pictures of Mikan!

"What is this!" he scooted towards the barricade of pictures that contained all her different angles and facial expressions. What puzzled him more was that some of the pictures only captured her different body parts. His eyes darted towards an odd thudding sound coming from a cabinet a few feet away from him. He walked towards it, took a deep breath and opened it.

He leapt in astonishment and bellowed when a half-completed wooden puppet that replicated Mikan fell to the floor.

The door swung open that very instant.

"Youichi, what the hell are you doing here?"

Youichi dreaded the worst and turned to see a familiar, angry man in the doorway.

"Hajime!"

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**To be continued…**

**End Notes: **Uh-oh! Youichi's in trouble! XD Sorry to leave you guys hanging. XD And yes, Akito is connected to Hajime but the answers will be revealed in the next chapter---including Mikan's reaction to Ruka's confession. It's Natsume's turn in the spotlight in Mikan's love life next chapter too. Hehehe, anyway, I'm on my way to a field work for an in-depth research about Fortune-Telling. Thank you so much for the support you give to this fanfic! Love you all! Please review! If you see any errors, do tell me! I'll be revising this later when I get home. Thank you!


	6. Chapter 6: A Young Heart Breeds Romance!

_Puberty takes its toll! Mikan is growing up…with Natsume constantly insulting her flat-chest. However, when someone made Mikan's chest-size bigger, wearing a bra didn't seem such a big deal anymore…especially since suitors flocked everywhere—much to Natsume and Ruka's annoyance. NxMxR. R&R! Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice. I'm just here to bully the characters.**

**Author's Notes: **Sorry for the delay, my heart has been very, very unstable…uhu. (hint: Something Greater Than Falling in Love) I needed to put myself together first before I write anything here, eheheheh. Anyway, this is going to be a long chapter again so I hope you find it worthwhile despite its length. Thank you so much for the reviews on the last chapter! I'm glad you guys liked it!

Now that Ruka has confessed, what will Mikan do? What about Natsume? How is Akito related to Hajime? Why does Hajime have a disturbing collection of Mikan pictures all over his laboratory? Take a wild guess. (wink wink) This chapter will contain violence and action---**you've been warned**. Akito uses his Alice. Natsume spends the night with Mikan somewhere, hehehe---contains mostly NatsumexMikan fluff for NxM fans out there. The chapter includes loads of romance, lots of action and violence, and bits of humor here and there. We're already at the peak of the plot (this chapter and the next) Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

**Made some revisions! Hope you like it. XD**

**Original Characters Thus Far:**

**Hajime Ikashita **– dangerous ability type; yields the puppeteer alice that could comatose and control numerous people at the same time, making them act like his puppets.

**Akito** **Takahashi **– A mysterious guy who claims to be Mikan's secret admirer, extremely likes to hit on her; alice ability not yet known.

**Hajime's Younger Brother (Name Unknown) **– elementary student; dangerous ability type: alice unknown.

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**Mikan** **Wears a Bra**

Genre: Romance/Humor/Action

**Chapter 6: A Young Heart Breeds Romance!**

Written By: WizdomGoddess

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She stared at him; her sight focused on his pair of heeding blue flames: All was still, all was silent.

Mikan realized that her mouth had dropped open so wide that an army of bees could practically fly into it. She swallowed a hardy lump that seemed to be jabbed in her throat. The rapid invasion of blood has swollen her cheeks, such emblems caused only by a confession of the man madly in love with her.

"Ruka…" she finally said, their eyes waltzed as she noticed that he was carefully taking in the details of her reaction.

_You're the one I've fallen in love with, Mikan._

Ruka? Her sweet and timid friend, Ruka-pyon? In love with her?

All previous impressions of him dissipated as she examined the tall and proud man before her.

He was no longer the shy little boy she once knew; his stance was now that of a ripe vessel of manhood. He was far from the imprint of sweetness, for the quality of his spirit has significantly matured. He had a certain masculine exquisiteness about him that, she realized, she had failed to perceive for the longest time that she knew him.

She tried to break away from his lingering gaze in vain, wishing that he would say something to break the alarming stillness that suddenly governed the stables.

Was this really Ruka standing in front of her?

She knew deep in her senses that he was still the Ruka she knew, but he had taken a step further into their relationship, elevating to that of romantic love. All of a sudden, he had become a stranger to her. Falling in love is such a foreign phrase to her---how could she answer? She had no idea what she really felt towards him, especially with the kind of love he just proposed; she was aware what romance was, but only that far she knew ---she never gave it a second thought: It was just too complicated for her.

To her relief, Ruka spoke; thus, rescuing her from her predicament.

"Mikan, you don't have to answer me right away…," he told her, his gleaming eyes still fixed on her. "Although I want to know how you feel for me too…"

"Ruka, I-I'm sorry. I-I love you as my friend but…"

Ruka braced himself, the butterflies in his stomach turning into mutants. "But…?"

"…to be honest, I never really thought…if I love you that way…you know…" her voice faltered uncomfortably, her eyeballs shifting from his face to her feet repeatedly.

"I understand. Don't worry, I won't rush you."

Ruka walked in long strides towards her and settled on the base of a haystack just a few inches away from her. Mikan blushed yet again for his eyes never left her even for a moment. She looked away, but sensed that his gaze now loitered on the soft, fine tresses that fell gracefully against her slender back. _What is this? Why am I feeling so nervous around him, _she pondered, trying to ignore the pounding of her heart.

Mikan's memories of him when they were younger rushed back to her. She remembered how Ruka kissed her during a school masquerade, then she recalled that it was also the same day that Natsume showed her what a kiss was like; she blushed as she reminisced. This wasn't exactly the first time that Ruka—and his best friend--became intimate with her; she simply took their gestures as signs of a special kind of friendship---not exactly love.

However, everything seemed to have changed the moment Ruka admitted his feelings. _This is too confusing…_

Ruka chuckled, making Mikan turn her head around, confused by his queer behavior. "Mikan, this feels awkward," he said, lips curved upwards.

"Yeah…I know."

"Let's lighten up, okay?"

Mikan shuddered when his palm touched her shoulder; he slowly caught the thin strands of her hair and let it slide smoothly over his fingers. No words were spoken between them. Ruka continued to play with her long wisps of auburn that she let loose that day.

"I'm glad I finally told you," he mused, relieved of his harbored feelings. He smiled sincerely at her. "I thought I'd be keeping my feelings a secret forever."

"Ah…um…since how long?"

"Since we were ten."

She didn't answer, he asked no more: All was solemn, all was serene.

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"Hajime!"

Youichi accidentally knocked over a row of glass tubes behind him; he cringed when the deafening sound of shattering glass echoed throughout the room. Hajime narrowed his eyes at him and very slowly closed the door, tightly fastening the locks. Youichi tried to look for an escape route. To his dismay, the laboratory was completely sealed with its sturdy blockades of timbre and cement.

"Youichi, you shouldn't sneak around someone else's territory," Hajime glowered, following the boy's every movement with his piercing golden eyes.

Youichi bit his lip, his mind out of control. He had to think of an excuse—and fast!

"I-I-I lost my book!" he blabbered. Youichi slapped himself mentally on how lame that must have sounded. Hajime circled towards him. Youichi took the opportunity to hobble towards the opposite direction.

Hajime looked even more suspicious. "Impossible. You've never set foot here before," he stated, a creepy beam glazed his pupils.

Youichi scraped the back of his head.

"Y-Your brother borrowed it from me you see!" he explained, letting out a nervous laugh. He could see a pile of books at the corner of his eye; he scrambled his hands toward it and grabbed the topmost one, not breaking his gaze away from Hajime.

He quickly thrashed the book in midair and waved it for Hajime to see. "See? Here's the book! I got what I came here for! I'm going now!" he tried to chuckle, but it came out as a choke.

Hajime crossed his arms and stared at him blankly. "That's a magazine, Youichi," he pointed out in a low, flat voice. His eyes have turned into tiny gashes now.

Youichi laughed shakily. "Books! Magazines! They're all the same, right?"

He muttered and squinted at the magazine he held. His eyes bulged out. _What the…! A porn magazine! That guy reads a porn magazine?_, he thought in disbelief, glancing from the magazine with the naked cover girl, to a very displeased Hajime. It was Youchi's turn to grow suspicious; he never imagined Hajime was a pervert---what's this guy's damage?

A metaphorical bulb flickered open inside his head. That's it! Youichi hoped his idea would distract the taller boy. He cleared his throat. "Hajime, you actually read porn? What would people say when they find out?" he coughed out, a disbelieving look on his pale face.

It didn't seem to have any effect on the older boy; he remained expressionless— Youichi saw not even a single twitch.

"That's not really a matter of concern right now, isn't it?" he answered coldly.

Youichi turned to his last resort---blackmail. "Look Hajime, if you let me stroll out of here I won't tell anybody you're a porn addict. Deal?" he wobbled his eyebrows at Hajime, who glared at him. Youichi backed off and stumbled.

"Don't be foolish. You'll get in the way of my plans. You're not going anywhere," Hajime growled.

Youichi cursed the gods for giving his opponent a brain.

Hajime shook his head regretfully. "Never meddle with somebody else's business, Youichi. You disappoint me."

The next thing Youichi knew, Hajime had mysteriously disappeared, materialized in front of him, and knocked him out with one hit in the stomach. Youichi found himself slowly descend into the deeper niche of his unconscious; his world spun until his vision revealed an obscure view of his face peering down at him.

_Natsume_…was the last word that flashed in his mind before he completely blacked out.

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The weather was dreadfully cold that evening; Mikan could literally witness the ballet of the teeny specks of ivory smoke in the air, caused mainly by the huffing and puffing of her breath against her bare hands.

She indulged in the soothing warmth of her sweater and brought it up to her chin snuggling against its soft fabric. If she only knew that the temperature would suddenly drop to its intolerable freezing point, she never would have left the tepid shelter of her room back in the dormitory.

She simply wanted to take a walk in order to clear her mind from the events that afternoon---that was all she wanted---not get lost in the jaws of the northern forest in the middle of the night!

"Somebody…help me…ghosts don't you show yourselves…waaaah!" Mikan shrieked in horror when the branches of the dark trees creaked and swayed against the gravely painted evening, seemingly taunting her.

_I must have strayed from the path…I've got to find it…but…where is it?_ She looked around desperately, but all her murky sight could grasp were the murderous, inviting shadows of the blotched trees.

Mikan stood up, her legs trembled unceasingly. "I can do this! I'll find my way back!" she pledged, a determined look on her face.

She gathered all her courage and shouted to the darkness. "I can doooo this! Noothiiing caaan scaaare me! Hahaha!" she cried out. The hoots and squeaks of the nocturnal creatures simultaneously responded to her challenge, dedicating an ode to the frightened girl.

Mikan forgot all her bravery. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" she screamed in return.

She closed her eyes, slammed her palms against her ears, and broke into a solo marathon.

She ran as fast as she could. _Keep on running, keep on running…keep on running! _

Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!

_What was that!_ Mikan gasped, her attention wavered to the creepy sound that trailed behind her.

Krik! Krik! Krik! Krik! Krik!

This time, it became faster. _Oh my god! I'm being followed! _She thought apprehensively and increased her pace in hopes of getting away from her stalker. The horrid sound of the rhythmic footsteps increased its speed; it didn't help that her cursed chest got in the way of her mobility due to its restless bouncing. She remembered the silly tales that her classmates told her about a monster loose in the forest---seeking human flesh. It scared her back then---now she's scared to _death_.

"GO AWAAAAY! DON'T EAT MEEEE! I DON'T TASTE GOOD! HEEEEELP MEEEE!" she begged to the heavens that never answered her. When a large hand swiped for her elbow and gripped it harshly, Mikan flung her arm backwards and tried to violently shake it away.

"Let go of me!" she screeched, struggling from the pressure that her attacker has put on her arms. "LET GO!"

"OW! Mikan, stop struggling! It's me!" a raspy voice pleaded, its accent she recognized briefly.

Mikan stopped squirming and opened her eyes. It was Akito---and he had red marks all over his face from her scratches; however the boy didn't seem to mind.

"Akito…whew…," she sighed loudly, not knowing whether to be thankful to him or give him a piece of her mind for scaring her. "I thought you were the man-eating monster my friends told me…"

Akito laughed, his eyes twinkling more rapidly than the stars. "Sheesh, you believe that? And you actually mistook this handsome, charming, irresistible face for a monster?" he pretended to look insulted. "I thought you liked me better than that?"

"Don't joke about it!" she blanched, still upset from the experience.

Mikan wished that by some miracle, Akito would lose all his sense of humor. "You scared me! You should have identified yourself first!" she replied in frustration. "And what are you doing out here anyway?"

"Shouldn't I ask you the same thing?" he whistled playfully.

Mikan blew up her cheeks, getting annoyed every second. Doesn't this guy know how to answer a question?

Akito laughed at her while he walked towards a willow tree. He plopped at its base and gently patted the space beside him. "Why don't you sit down beside me?" he offered, when she shook her head shrewdly, he then added. "It's true you know---that man-eating monster, he'll eat you if you don't sit beside me."

The intimidation worked. Mikan quickly rushed to his side and hastily plopped near him, making sure to put as much distance as she could between them---just in case he tried anything. She pressed her lips together as a weird shiver ran down her spine. She glanced at the gray-haired boy who was grinning at her against the dim silhouette of the moonlight; it was odd how the guy still gave her the creeps until now.

"Hey, are you thirsty?" he asked, taking a short glimpse at her frightened face.

"A bit, I guess. My throat is sore from all that screaming."

Akito expressed his amusement. "You're such a chicken," he told her, sliding his hand inside a pocket and pulling out a weird-looking vial. He opened it and yanked it in front of the surprised girl.

Mikan was amazed by the different streaks of light that the liquid inside emitted. "What's that?" she inquired, studying the content with wide, curious eyes. "It's so pretty!"

Akito smiled at her. "Oh, it's a medicine that will cure your sore throat. Why don't you try it?" he gently reached out his hand and presented it to her.

Mikan was reluctant, but accepted it nevertheless. She moved the vial around, admiring how the multitude of colorful rays competed with the pale moonlight in clearing the forest of its shadows.

"Is it safe?"

"Ofcourse!"

Mikan stared from the bottle to Akito warily.

Impulsively, she brought the vial closer to her mouth but just as it was about to touch her lips, a gigantic limb draped from one of the chief branches of the willow tree hurtled towards the ground with a vociferous thud followed by the crunching of leaves.

Startled from the sudden impact, Mikan jumped from her passivity. This caused the vial to dribble out of her hands; both watched in disbelief as the sparkling liquid spilled out of the vial and leaked through the pores of the earth.

"Oh no!" she exclaimed, squatting towards the small muddle where the medicine had streamed. "Akito! I'm sorry!"

When she turned to Akito so she could apologize properly, she observed that his ashen face had lost all its vigor. "A-Akito? What's wrong with you?"

His eyes lost all its color. "This is not good," he said with a tone that lacked the same openness he had a while ago.

Mikan stepped forward to check on him but he rashly tumbled backwards and motioned to stop in her tracks.

"Don't come near me!" his pupils dilated; the shape of his eyes unusually wide. Moreover, sweat glistened all over his forehead and his collarbone despite the disguise of the gloomy shadows from the dawdling branches. His goofy smile had been washed away, only to be replaced by a threatening scowl that frightened her.

"Akito! What are you doing?" she demanded, severely baffled by his sudden change of attitude.

"I said don't come near me! Stay away! I don't want you to see me like this!" he commanded, digging his hands all over the borders of his face---his whole body trembled.

Mikan stiffened from the electric currents that jolted throughout her body. Mikan dropped to her knees eyes broadened in shock as she watched Akito bend down, arms tightly latched over his stomach, and curled into the ground roaring in agony.

"I-I can't afford to change back…!" Mikan heard him mumble from where she squatted. _Change back? What is he talking about?_

She shot him a worried look, unsure of what to do. "Akito!"

"If you come, I can't use my alice…I don't want you to see the real me…" Akito panted exhaustedly. He seemed to have difficulty breathing. His red eyes looked darker and his pupils transformed into mere slits. "I'm sorry…but I'm going to have to hurt you a little…" His lips curved at a corner, his face reflected an embodiment of shame. "Forgive me, Mikan."

"Y-your alice? The real you? I don't understand what you're talking about!" she exclaimed in confusion.

His shouts pealed through the night; his body started to jerk on its own. Mikan gasped and covered her unlocked jaw with her hands. Her eyes expanded in horror; her friend's amplified moan deafened her ears, grounding her to forget the rest of her problems.

Terror-stricken, she watched as his crimson eyes rolled back, mouth hanging open towards the amorous skies. His fingers were slanted as his nails slowly grew into a battalion of claws. The skinny volume of his arms gradually turned massive, tearing his clothes apart accompanied by the rasping noises of his breath colliding against the stillness of the air. His torso revealed numerous bones engraved against the thin layer of skin while his broad chest stuck out as a groan escaped his mouth.

Mikan started to doubt the accuracy of her eyesight when she noticed that his feet had also turned into huge paws that roughed the moistened soil. She moved her eyes towards his face, which slowly elongated against the profile of the moon. His teeth were stripped of its pearly whites and transformed into fangs that mimicked a bed of knives. She felt every invisible hair on her skin stand up when his whole body became embedded with a tedious luster of fur. She stumbled backwards, crawling away from the macabre figure that her throbbing mind slowly identified as a monster she had heard in legends.

"Were…wolf…" was all she managed to utter before a pair of reddish yellow eyes reeled towards her.

As much as she wanted to run for dear life, her feet were petrified and refused to move---confused thoughts overpowered her. _This is…Akito? His alice? Werewolf? No…he's a monster…_Her eyes quickly darted towards the crescent outline of the moon and back to the approaching lycanthrope, saliva dripping from the lair of its sultry jaws.

Mikan heaved in short, frightened breaths as their gazes met. She fell back in panic as the monster raised its foreboding paw against the portrait of the starry evening and struck her.

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Natsume leapt from one tree to another with amazing precision and speed. He had just completed another mission assigned to him by the academy. He silently cursed the dirty and political motives that he knew surrounded the higher authorities of the god-forsaken school. He took off his mask as a melodious succession of howls vibrated through the night.

Natsume frowned. _That's odd…that sounded like a wolf_, he thought, remembering that Ruka had mentioned a school rule forbidding wolf-breeding had been recently implemented.

His eyes widened when a scream pealed throughout the forest from a short distance away. Natsume snapped his head around, his cognition immediately recognizing the owner of the voice.

"Mikan….Mikan!" he whispered to himself, his heart pounding in worry. He assumed she was in danger and his eyes searched every depth of the shadowy forest looking for the direction the scream came from. His nerves betrayed him as he surveyed the area; his mind contained only the desire to get to her before she got hurt. Without losing any more precious time, he closed his eyes and followed his instincts.

When he cleared the bushes that got in his way, he saw that his instincts had led him to the academy park. He perspired despite the coolness of the evening; he could foretell that something bad was going to happen.

He looked around the vicinity. He then spotted Mikan lying unconscious near the fountain---with a gigantic werewolf hovering over her. '_MIKAN!' _his inner voice screeched.

He pushed the leaves out of the way and bolted out of his hiding place. "MIKAN!" he shouted out. This caught the attention of the monster that had been playing with her hair. "Stay away from her!" He summoned his fire alice and two balls of flames appeared over his palms.

Natsume knew it was glaring at him from the way it narrowed its eyes; he realized it had a sinister look on its horrid features. However, he wasn't about to back down. He glanced at the unconscious girl and noticed the purple mark on the side of her forehead---it must have been the strike she received from the creature. He found his anger rising as the situation further registered in his mind.

Natsume glared at the beast that had slowly approached him with an evil look as it gnawed its fangs at him. "Stupid beast!" he growled back at the hideous sight. Without another word, he flared up the flames in his hands and threw them swiftly at the persistent werewolf. The beast evaded just as fast and bounded into the air to attack him.

However, it seemed to have underestimated him when the beast crashed into the bushes instead. Natsume had avoided his attack smoothly and had dashed towards the unconscious Mikan.

Taking a glimpse at the dazed werewolf, he turned to the girl and gently shook her. "Mikan, wake up! Wake up!" he pleaded, his attempts to wake her growing more aggressive by the second. "Open your eyes idiot!"

At this, Mikan responded with a low moan. To his relief, her eyes fluttered open and gazed back at him, her vision still hazed. "N-Natsume?" her eyes suddenly grew wide in horror.

An angry growl resonated behind him. The moment he turned around, the werewolf lunged towards him aiming for his throat.

"NATSUMEEEE!" Mikan cried out.

Time seemed to have slowed down when Mikan jumped to her feet and pushed Natsume out of the way. Before he realized it, her shrieks have entailed his five senses. The sound of the monster whimpering and snapping its jaw shut caused his eyes to widen even further. The werewolf collided with Mikan---followed by a loud, unmistakable **POOF!**

"MIKAN!" Natsume cried out, rushing to her side. He fanned away the dispersing smoke that covered her.

Mikan coughed and turned to him. "Natsume, you're here…" her eyes filled with tears and she wrapped her arms around him in fright. Although surprised by her gesture, he didn't budge and just stood still---secretly enjoying the moment. She nuzzled her cheeks against his chest, softly gripping his shoulder as she wept. "I was scared…You don't know how thankful I am…"

"You crazy fool, why did you push me away," he scolded.

"I didn't want anything to happen to you Natsume…"

Natsume looked down at her, fighting the blood that threatened to crawl all over his face. The way she thought about the safety of others before her own would someday endanger her life---that silly Mikan. He sighed, exasperated.

"That werewolf…was Akito…he mentioned something about his alice," she continued.

Natsume's brows met and turned towards the figure in the middle of the tremendous smoke. As it deliberately faded away, it revealed…

….

….

….a kid?

Mikan and Natsume stared in awe at the sniffling child in front of them—he was the same little boy they saw with Hajime!

Mikan watched as Natsume marched towards the kid, grabbed his shirt, and whisked him off the ground. The little boy obviously didn't like it and proceeded to glare at his captor.

"Let go of me you big bully!" it whined, kicking and squealing as he was suspended in midair by the equally annoyed Natsume.

"You're Hajime's little brother. _What_ the hell are you up to, brat?" Natsume demanded, waiting for explanations.

The little boy shot him a dirty look and continued to struggle. "I wanted to be close to Mikan you dope! Don't you know anything?" he retorted angrily, "I went through all that trouble being a stupid teenager for nothing!"

Mikan felt her eyes had just turned into dots. "You're actually….Akito?" she stammered.

"Yeah! Mikan, help meeeee!" the kid replied, reaching out his hands towards her.

Natsume jerked the kid closer to him and stared at the little boy's desperate golden eyes. "_You_ wanted to be close to her, transformed into a werewolf, and _you_ hurt her?" he grumbled at him, pointing at the purple mark on Mikan's forehead.

It didn't surprise Natsume when Mikan suddenly looked baffled. She didn't seem to be aware that she was injured until she slid her fingers over her forehead and winced. The two boys watched her freak out and sweat-dropped.

Guilt swept over the little boy's pretty features. He looked down pouting, his lower lip trembled. "I didn't mean to…she was supposed to drink the formula so her nullifying alice won't work…" he explained gloomily, "I can't stay as Akito for long without it…her alice would turn me back into a kid." Mikan seemed to have noticed his sentiment and looked at him empathically. "But if she were unconscious…she won't have to see me…"

Natsume smirked. "Ah…the shape-shifting alice…"

"I can transform into other people or look like someone I've imagined…especially monsters whenever I please….but I change back with Mikan near me…OWWW!"

Natsume had hit him hard on the head.

"That's for the trouble you've caused, brat," he muttered, putting him down.

"Waaaah! That hurt! And my name's Hakato, idiot!" the boy wailed. "Now I know why my brother hates you!"

Natsume ignored the latter part of his sentence. "Does that thing you give her have side-effects?" he asked, glancing at Mikan's breast, who hastily covered it and glared at him.

"I don't know! As if I….OWWWW!" the kid wailed.

Natsume had whapped the child on the head yet again.

"Natsume! He's just a kid!" Mikan exclaimed in shock, rushing to comfort the cowering little boy.

Hakato instantly stopped crying, ran towards Natsume and kicked him in the shins. Natsume let out a pained howl and started cussing angrily.

The little boy stuck out his tongue and ran towards Mikan, hugging her waist tightly. "I'm sorry…I did it because I really like you…" he sniffed so cutely that she couldn't resist hugging him back.

"Why were you afraid to tell me you're a kid?" she asked gently, ignoring Natsume who mumbled something about spoiled brats.

"Because you might not take me seriously…" he sniffled, shifting his feet timidly. She squealed at his cuteness.

"Oh I forgive you! Come here!" she brought him between her arms and squeezed him blissfully.

"Hey Mikan…you're boobs sure are soft."

Natsume growled at this comment. Mikan sweated and instantly released him. What is going on in this kid's head!

'I'm going ahead…you're both wasting my time," Natsume announced, looking rather pissed. He turned around and walked away. She was about to follow him when she felt Hakato tug her hand.

"Mikan!" Hakato whined, yanking her back. "Don't go!"

"I'm sorry Hakato, but I have to tell him something…" she smiled at him apologetically and patted his head. "Go back to your dorm now, okay?"

Mikan stood up, turned around and bolted after Natsume. "W-Wait! Natsume! Please wait for me!"

"Mikan…"

Mikan never saw the look of misery embodied on his face as he watched her disappear into the eerie forest alcoves.

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He had counted twenty-two…twenty-three…twenty-four…twenty-five stars.

"Natsume!"

Natsume lost count again and groaned to himself. He would much rather focus his attention to the stupid stars than the numerous times Mikan has called his name. "I told you, stop following me. Go back to your dorm and sleep."

"B-But N-Natsume…y-you came t-to save me…I-I j-just w-wanted to th-thank you…" her voice cracked, obviously from the cold.

Natsume lifted a brow and stopped. Now that he noticed it, it was freezing where they are. This caused the shivering girl to bump against his back.

"N-Natsume?" she puffed.

Natsume sighed and looked at her. Her lips were turning bluish and the whole areas of her cheeks were the color of wild cherries.

"I know a place where we can warm up," he said and approached her.

"Wh-where?" she managed to reply, her teeth were already clattering. "C-Can't move…c-cold…" She squeaked helplessly as she tried to bury herself in her sweater, which didn't do much to heat her up.

To her astonishment, she found herself being swept off her feet. "W-Wah? N-Natsume?" she looked up at Natsume, who still had his signature unsmiling look plastered on his face.

Natsume had carried her, a hand under her upper spine and the other just beneath her thighs. He brought her shaking body closer to his own in order to secure her against him. Mikan sighed the moment their bodies touched, enjoying his warmth. Without another word, he started to walk with her cuddled on his arms.

Mikan noticed a slight tinge of pink on his cheekbones, but she enjoyed the heat his body gave her to even try to discern what that meant. She slowly leaned her head against his broad shoulders and closed her eyes. '_Since when did he grow so strong like this?'_ she pondered, her heart steadily beating along with his rhythmic breaths. Slowly, she found herself drifting into a peaceful slumber.

Mikan opened her eyes to the sound of crackling fire.

She realized it was still night time and that she was in the middle of a clearing. She propped herself up and saw Natsume tossing some twigs into the scorching, red-orange flames. He seemed to be deep in thought, the reflection of the fire swiveled in his eyes. The way it lighted up his rigid and well-chiseled face, along with the shadows that danced around his robust figure, somehow mesmerized her.

Mikan blinked. '_He's so handsome and attractive now that I think about it…'_ she told herself, still dazed. Her eyes widened and she started hitting herself on the head. What was she thinking! Did she just think Natsume was handsome?...and attractive? Oh my god! She blushed furiously at the thought, trying to erase it from her memory.

"You're awake."

Natsume had turned to her, his eyes penetrating her own. Mikan found herself blushing even more. She mentally kicked and gathered herself.

"Y-Yeah," she replied without gazing at him, her heart thudding wildly. Darn this beating heart.

They remained silent for a few more minutes.

"Hey Natsume…thank you for saving me."

He didn't answer and just looked at her quietly in response. "Wh-what?" she asked with a frown. Mikan wished he didn't look at her like that---it made her heart beat even faster. _Be still you thumping heart._

"I'm sorry for worrying you Natsume," Mikan inhaled and tried to relax. She waited for her body to calm down before she stood up and sat closer to him. No words were spoken for a moment.

He didn't seem to mind her close presence. "Still cold?"

"Yeah," she nodded, feeling a shiver run up her spine from the chilly weather that night.

A breeze swept over them and she automatically snuggled closer to him. To her surprise, she felt his sturdy hand grab her shoulder and pulled her even closer to him.

Mikan looked up at Natsume, who was now gazing at her intensely. "W-Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I…was worried about you. I was…afraid you were hurt."

Mikan blinked again, utterly confused. Why was Natsume opening up to her all of a sudden?

When she opened her mouth, Natsume already had his fingers under her chin and his face was moving slowly towards hers. His fingers entwined with hers over the ground right next to the dancing sparks leaping out of the fire that gave them warmth.

The flames crackled like it should have; its heat battled with the freezing air.

Mikan suddenly forgot how to breathe; she was overpowered by the passionate movement of his lips against hers. He seemed to devour her as he nipped at her lower lip; he felt his desire seep through her the moment she opened her mouth to get some air. He caught her again in a deeper, more sensual kiss. One of his hands ran through her hair while the other pulled her closer to his body. She felt her whole body heat up; her heart was now on the verge of explosion.

When he finally let go of her, they stared at each other. Mikan was speechless; what tumbled from his lips next made her world spin faster.

"Mikan, how do you feel about me?"

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**To be continued…**

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**End Notes: **

Oh! For the NxM fans, I based the story on the manga more than the anime.…ehehehehe. If you want spoilers, you can visit my profile and a link is provided there. So basically, this wasn't the first time Ruka and Natsume kissed her….oops! I think I blabbed too much. XD

I know that some of you are probably cursing me right now but please don't kill me yet because of the cliff-hanger. XD Hehehe, the Natsume versus Werewolf ended with the revelation that Akito and the werewolf was actually Hajime's little brother (Hakato Ikashita) who had a crush on Mikan and possessed the shape-shifting alice. Ahh, puppy love! I apologize if the action scene was very, very short—this is mainly a romance/humor fic after all. XD The action scene was really difficult to put into words, this is the first (or is it second? Hmm…) time I've written that kind of scene. XD I don't know if I got it correct though since I mostly read non-fiction books.

Anyway, what ever happened to Youichi? Hakato mentioned that his older brother hates Natsume and the Mikan pictures posted all over his laboratory remains unanswered. What did Hajime mean by Youichi "getting in the way"? Of what? And what kind of mushiness awaits next chapter for Mikan and Natsume? (WG goes out to buy coffee and starts writing Chapter 7)

As usual, if you see any errors or typos, please tell me so I can revise them! Thank you so much for your support guys! I truly appreciate all your reviews. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! (ducks from a rotten tomato thrown by a NxM fan)


	7. Chapter 7: Friends Do Not Come Everyday!

_Puberty takes its toll! Mikan is growing up…with Natsume constantly insulting her flat-chest. However, when someone made Mikan's chest-size bigger, wearing a bra didn't seem such a big deal anymore…especially since suitors flocked everywhere—much to Natsume and Ruka's annoyance. NxMxR. R&R! Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice. I'm just here to bully the characters.**

**Author's Notes: **Again, I apologize for the delay—as you can see this is a veeeery long chapter. I also apologize for the cliff-hangers, we're already at the climax of the story. I made some writing-style revisions in the previous chapters to make my descriptions more understandable. Plus I was unsatisfied with the first draft of this chapter so I deleted **all** of it yesterday—I started all over again that's why it got delayed. XD This is the first time I made a fanfic longer than five chapters, hehehe. XD So sorry….

This contains a **great** **deal **of Natsume x Mikan romance (yay! More than half of the chapter I think…hehehe.) and a teeny weeny Ruka x Hotaru fluff. This is a **sappy** and dramatic chapter with a little humor at the end. This is also the second to the last chapter---the resolution will be in Chapter Eight. The conflict isn't over yet. Hajime's motives involving Mikan are revealed, one by one. Everyone suspects he was the one behind Mikan's breast enlargement problem---but why would he do it in the first place?

Thank you so much for the reviews! I'd like to know if you liked this chapter; I really want to know if I was able to make this chapter work somehow, since this is the crucial part of story. (sweatdrop) As early as now, I want to tell you guys that the fanfic will end with humor. Love yah all!

This won't turn into a lemon, okie dokie? Steamy is enough for something Rated-T. XD

**Original Characters Thus Far:**

**Hajime Ikashita **–yields the puppeteer alice that could comatose and control numerous people at the same time, making them act like his puppets: dangerous ability type. Likes porn, hates Natsume.

**Hakato Ikashita **– dangerous ability-type; the true identity of **Akito Takahashi**; yields the shape-shifting alice that enables him to transform into anything he desires anytime, anywhere; his specialty is changing into monsters whereby he also acquires their beastly abilities; Youichi's younger friend in the elementary division who has a huge crush on Mikan, and a bit perverted towards her (I wonder why…).

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**Mikan Wears a Bra**

Genre: Romance/Humor/Action (This Chapter includes Drama)

**Chapter 7: Good Friends Don't Come Around Everyday!**

Written By: WizdomGoddess

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Youichi flinched—did he fall asleep?

…No, but he did recall passing out.

Youichi stirred, slowly regaining his consciousness. He felt the whole world was on him, his temples drummed in merciless aches, and an incessant recollection of flashbacks came streaming back his psyche. _That's right_, he remembered. This was _his _doing---that Hajime.

With a cringe, he grunted and flapped his eyes open warily.

"Aaah!" was his mortified yell. He opened his eyes only to come face to face with a platoon of faceless wooden puppets. They swiftly apprehended him and forced him against a solid furnace. The puppets looked plain but were unbelievably strong; they securely gripped his whole body with ease. He struggled and tried to summon his evil ghosts instinctively but none came out, no matter how much he tried to concentrate. He felt his lower jaw drop when the realization hit him: His alice wasn't working!

"Don't bother using your alice, Youichi. You won't be able to use it, for twenty-four hours at least."

The spraddled silhouette of a man in a white laboratory coat welcomed his tarnished eyesight. The mere presence of Hajime vanquished all of his prior confusion, replaced by unexplainable rage.

"Hajime! What did you do to me!" he demanded in contempt, trying to fight off the unyielding joint-snippets of lumber grasping him. _Stupid puppets_, he muttered to himself and one of them clutched harder on his arm, elaborate red marks appeared on his skin. He winced in pain.

Hajime tilted his head and glanced at him from the corner of his eye and sneered.

Youichi knew that Hajime had an unpredictable and dangerous personality, who knows what he'll do to him? He had to be careful.

"You forget my chemist ability, Youichi. I made you drink a small amount of my neutralizing potion while you were unconscious," Hajime replied, slithering off his chair. He treaded deliberately towards Youichi with a grimace.

"Alice-neutralizing potion? What the heck is that?" Youichi alluded with a scowl.

Hajime stopped a few feet away from him. "Only one sip--and alice-wielders will lose their alices for at least a day, depending on the amount taken," said he, eyes as dull as the color of lead. His gaze flourished on the collection of Mikan photos that covered one wall of his laboratory. "It worked perfectly on that girl."

A disturbing titter escaped his lips, causing Youichi to shudder reflexively.

_So he DID poison her…_Youichi contemplated. He captured the disdainful pair of gold that stared at him with his own. _But…it still doesn't make sense. He wanted to get rid of her alice that's for sure, but why? _He knew several pieces of the puzzle were still missing.

He had to know, for the sake of everybody---especially Natsume.

"What do you want from Mikan, Hajime? And what are those pictures for?" Youichi asked impatiently. "What are you planning to do with her?"

No answer came from Hajime.

He simply stared at Youchi and briefly studied his perplexed face. Without another word, he smirked and turned away.

He walked towards the opposite side of the room; there, he averted his attention to the assorted flasks and glass bottles filled with multi-colored chemicals neatly aligned in a column.

Youichi watched while Hajime lifted one of the bottles and poured its contents into a tube filled with a colorless liquid of some sort. As the two fluids merged, steam pivoted and escaped from inside the tube. Once it cleared, the liquid inside the tube had turned into a sparkling rainbow color that emitted a multitude of vibrant hues.

'_What is that? Is that the neutralizing potion he was talking about?_' he thought. Why was Hajime making another one?

Youichi shook his head in frustration, keeping in mind that he needed to escape before Hajime pushed through with his so-called plans.

He tried to break away from the puppets, but their strong hold on him never wavered. '_Dang it…what should I do…' _he thought in dismay. He needed to stop Hajime somehow—but what the heck can he do in his powerless state?

He was about to sigh in defeat when a loud knock came from the door and voice called from the other side. Both Hajime and Youichi moved their stares towards the tightly shut door.

"Brother! Open the door! I need to get in," came a high-pitched voice. Youichi recognized it right away. He knew the voice belonged to his young friend, Hakato.

"Brother! Are you busy? It's really cold out here you know," Hakato continued, tone muffled from the outside.

Youichi blinked. '_It's night already? I was unconscious THAT long?' _he thought, his forehead crinkled in disbelief.

The impetuous clinking of glasses broke his trail of thoughts--what happened next puzzled him even more.

Hajime looked anxious all of a sudden. He hurried towards the wall with the compiled Mikan pictures and tugged on a string that hung at its middle. Two elevated panels of wood slammed shut, coming from opposite directions. It covered the entire pool of photographs.

Youichi watched in astonishment as Hajime walked briskly towards the door, unlocked the bolts, and opened the door.

His friend stood in the doorway, looking miserable and cold.

Hajime took one look at him, immediately took off his laboratory coat, and placed it over the freezing boy. He hauled his little brother inside and proceeded with the ritual of closing the over-secured door. That was when Hakato saw the helpless Youichi. A smile spread across his face and rushed towards him, ignoring the fact that he was being detained by supposedly-inanimate objects.

"Hello Youichi!" Hakato chirped happily. He pursed his lips. "Why are you still awake? What are you doing here? Why are you glaring at me?" The questions never ceased to spill from his mouth.

"Hakato! You…MmMMmF?" Just when Youichi was about to continue, one of the puppets around him quickly indented its crummy hand firmly on his mouth.

"Hakato, you're back late," interrupted Hajime. He leaned against a table and looked at his little brother. "Did you give her the potion?"

Hakato stuck out his lower lip and shook his head. "No, I'm sorry brother. When I gave it to her, she spilled it. You know how jumpy she gets when she's scared, being in the dark and all," he replied, looking pensive. "I even resorted to changing into a werewolf to knock her out so I wouldn't change back into a kid."

Hajime frowned. "Hmmm…go on."

Hakato sighed and sat on a chair just beside his brother. "But Natsume just _had_ to come when the plan was going so well," he added, swinging his legs wildly while on the chair, "What are we going to do? There is no way you can control Mikan now." He stared at his brother expectantly.

Hajime closed his eyes and rubbed his temples with his slim fingers. "We have no other choice then," he replied, his eyes acquired a dark-golden color while he spoke. "We'll have to use Natsume."

Youichi's eyes grew wide. '_Natsume? What were they going to do with Natsume!_' he thought in panic. He felt a sudden burst of adrenaline run through his veins upon hearing his name slip from their tongues. With a bellow, he broke free from the puppets that beheld him, tearing their flimsy arms apart from their main bodies. The surprised brothers turned around and watched as Youichi lurched towards them.

Youichi clenched his fists. "What are you planning to do with Natsume? You traitors!" he growled at them.

Hajime ignored him and motioned to his younger brother.

Hakato nodded in response and took a step towards Youichi, face alighted remorse. "I'm sorry, Youichi," he said, their gazes transfixed. He transformed into his werewolf form once again and leapt towards Youichi. The two wrestled in the ground, with Hakato overpowering Youichi in the end. Werewolf Hakato ruthlessly pinned him down on the floor.

"It's useless to fight Youichi."

Youichi turned to Hajime, a sweat trailed across his forehead; he felt all of his energy drain from his body. "What are you going to do to him!"

Hajime approached and lifted his chin.

He moved his face closer to his with an evil glint, lips twisted into a curve. "Think of it as a little gift to Natsume."

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Mikan could tell that sparks were flying; special thanks to the flaring piece of timbre that had gone astray from their fire—and landed on her sweater. But she had her mind on something else to even think about taking it out.

"Natsume…"

So they sat next to each other, his deep, amber eyes burned through her own as it kindled every part of her soul. Mikan felt her cheeks grow hot despite the wintry ambiance of the evening.

It may no longer be the first time a guy had asked about her feelings for him, but that particular instance made breathing unbearably difficult for her--perhaps because it came from the person that she least expected would ask such a thing. Mikan stared at Natsume in disbelief, unable to utter a word.

Why was she nervous all of a sudden? '_What is this?' _she thought, her eyes never left his. A familiar heavy feeling accompanied the tempo of her heart in a profound duet. Mikan moved her fingers toward her lips and gently touched the unseen cascades where he had kissed her. Her lips were still warm from the earlier contact; she could practically savor his unique taste left behind by the kiss.

_Mikan, how do you feel about me?_

Mikan blushed furiously.

How did she feel about him? Every time he was near, her heart skipped. Every time he spoke to her, her mind raced. Every time he looked at her, her eyes could barely let go of his; the intense way he looked at her made her lose her breath. Yet, in all honesty, she had no idea how she felt towards him. The feelings overwhelmed her entirety---too much that it rendered her brain useless---every single time.

How did she feel about him? She didn't know. How could she answer him if she didn't know?

"Well? Are you going to stare at me the whole night?" Natsume remarked, snapping her out of her trance. He looked at her in that provocative way again—yet for some reason, she found it charming. _I'm losing it…_Mikan thought to herself. She had to give him an answer somehow.

"I-I don't know how I feel for you."

Natsume grew quiet. "I never really thought about it," she continued, fiddling with her feet. She had stretched her legs towards the fire swaying incessantly in front of them. Their shadows danced together, following the choreography of the flames.

"Hey Natsume, why did you kiss me during the masquerade back in elementary?" she asked, memories of their first kiss flooded her mind.

"Why are you asking me?"

"It's the same."

Natsume lifted a brow, perplexed. "What's the same?"

"The way you kissed me a while ago, it's the same with that one," she explained, looking straight at him.

"In what way?"

"The way it made me feel back then---it's the same feeling I had a while ago," she explained, her cheeks flushed from the memory. She looked away, embarrassed.

"And what feeling is that?"

"I don't know. It's hard to describe."

The fire lashed out hundreds of tiny glowing red specks that commingled daintily with the spiral of smoke ascending into the dark atmosphere; it gracefully painted the natural black carnage of the night in a fine thin line. Mikan was lost in her thoughts.

"Something is going on between you and Ruka."

It came as a statement, as if he already knew. Mikan whirled her head to face him; he peered at hers inquisitively. Natsume knew what happened that afternoon? Somehow, it freaked her out. She huddled her legs together, pressing them against her overgrown chest. She wrapped her slender arms around her knees, burying the left side of her face into it without losing eye contact with Natsume.

"You know about it?" her face had turned rosy red. She recalled how Ruka confessed to her earlier that afternoon and let out a heavy sigh.

"I don't. I just assumed."

There was something in his tone that projected a hint of bitterness. Her sensitivity took over. His silence became more pensive by the minute. What was his problem? Mikan automatically moved closer to him as another cool breeze swept over them. She used the time to examine his expression—which didn't reveal much.

"This afternoon, Ruka told me he loved me," she confided, her shoulder touched his. Mikan felt heat currents run all over her body.

Natsume just listened to her pouring her heart out—he didn't say anything. He watched her entwine her fingers uncomfortably together as she rested elbows on her bent knees.

"It was the first time…he's been so direct with me," she continued, a blush spread on her cheeks. "When he kissed me, I didn't know what to do…"

Natsume didn't respond. Instead, he diverted his attention to the ground. His bangs had covered his features with its lamenting shadows. Mikan shifted awkwardly. Deafening silence drifted between them. She felt uneasy every time Natsume grew quiet, perhaps from the odd aura that frequently radiated whenever they were alone.

Once again, Natsume decided to break the silence, his eyes stayed fixed upon the sullen earth.

"Do you love Ruka?" he asked her, his tone monotonous.

"I don't know."

Natsume stood up without looking at her.

"You should be with Ruka, you're better off being with him," he mumbled, a little bit too decisively.

Mikan blinked. "Wh-what? Why are you pushing me to him all of a sudden?" she queried, confused by his sudden change of mood.

"You can't just decide for me you know." She glowered and shot him a questioning look. She knew that Ruka was his best friend and all. Furthermore, for some reason his voice had a sour tone in it. Natsume was acting strange---what's going on with him?

Mikan pushed herself on her feet and stood next to him with a worried expression on her face. "Natsume? What's wrong with you?" she asked, his stature had suddenly gone rigid when her fingers touched his arm.

Natsume buried his hand in one of his pockets, his back facing hers. "Ruka will take better care of you…," he trailed off, his voice deep yet disconsolate.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"You'll never understand."

Mikan felt her temper flare; he was pushing her to the borders of her patience. "You're the one I don't understand! Tell me!" she insisted, crossing her arms and urging him to continue. "Please?" There, she stood her ground just a few inches away from the large frame of his back.

Natsume turned around. To her surprise, he slowly lobbed an arm around her neck and pulled her face closer until their foreheads converged. He watched her tan-olive eyes widen.

"You'll never understand why I can't tell you…though I wish I could," he said in a low, husky whisper, closing his eyes as he felt her relax in his grasp. He released her gently; their gazes met, divulged in stupor. Mikan looked bewildered, the color of her skin fair and pale against the delicate caress of the moonlight.

Natsume remained quiet and enjoyed the mere sight of her. No doubt, she was a wondrous portrait against the creative glimmer of the evening. Since when did she become so beautiful? No matter how many times he denied it, he fell in love with her long, long ago when they were young---just like Ruka. Her face lit with an over-flooding love for life, a sharp contrast to the darkness that resided within him. He knew she wanted to reach out to him, being the simple-minded girl that she was. Eventually, she grew on him and her presence had become so important to him.

Deep down, he hated this feeling.

Natsume didn't want anybody to get close to him—especially her. He didn't want her to be involved with his afflictions. It would just endanger her life. He knew Persona was out there, lurking amongst the shadows—waiting. He knew he would kill the people he loved if he ever defied the higher authorities of the school. He had been manipulated all his life in the academy, and if they found out about Mikan, they would surely use her for their own selfish motives.

As long as he's alive, he will never let that happen.

More often, he just couldn't help himself when he was near her---he needed to let out his feelings for her---these feelings that he knew would destroy her if he wasn't careful. This is why he can never admit his feelings to her. He just quietly enjoyed these moments with her, because he knew they were temporary.

Even just for a moment, he wanted to enjoy her warmth that his fire-alice could never give him.

Natsume knew his heart wrenched as he gazed at the expectant girl before him. He will never forgive himself if something happened to her. He needed to get away from her---to protect her. He didn't want to see her go through the same suffering he did—the same suffering that endangered the lives of the people he cared about.

Why did she have to show up in his life?

He grew fond of her smile.

He wanted to see her smile everyday—as much as he loved seeing her angry, that particularly brought out her liveliness.

With the darkness that tainted his heart, she can never do that if he gets involved with her.

Seeing her smile was enough for him.

Natsume closed his eyes, his heart felt unusually heavy. He didn't want to lose anybody he loved.

Ruka, who was like a brother to him, would be perfect for her. He knew of his best friend's feelings for the longest time. He would much rather see her happy with his friend than make her suffer with him. He could never tell her how he really felt for her, because it will only cause her misery in the end. He would usually bully and tease her, the little ways he did just to be near her. Ruka knew better, at least. His friend would even push him towards her, insisting that he should be more honest with her.

He wanted the two important people in his life to be happy.

Yet the very idea of Ruka and Mikan getting together hurt him—badly; his heart ached no matter how much he tried to repress it.

He knew he could never escape the cursed fate that awaited him because of his alice. Sometimes, he wished he never had it. '_Damn this …'_ he cursed in his mind. Natsume clenched his fists in anger and frustration.

He was still lost in his thoughts when a voice echoed in his head.

_Natsume…it's time. _

What was that voice? Natsume frowned. He turned around and automatically changed into a defensive position. He looked down at the stunned girl, placed both of his hands on her shoulders, and swiftly pulled her towards him.

"Stay close to me. We're not alone," he whispered, his tone stern.

Mikan blinked, stunned by the sudden wrinkles that formed on his forehead; she felt a shudder race down the back of her neck. She turned to Natsume and saw that his face had a queer, disturbed expression. Why did he become so tensed all of a sudden? When he started to tremble violently, she got worried.

She frowned and nudged him. "Natsume?"

No answer. Hoping to get a reaction, Mikan resorted to shaking him. "NATSSUUUMEEE! SNAP OUT OF IT!" she yelled in his ear.

"AAAAAH!" he let out a pained cry, his body bent forward with his arms as support. His hands slammed on the ground and his fingers curled, digging into the raven-tinted earth. Mikan dropped to her knees to support him.

"NATSUME!" she uttered in astonishment. "Natsume! What's happening to you?" Her heart was already thumping wildly against her chest.

To her shock, Natsume pushed her away with one hand, gripped his shirt with the other and let out a loud cry. He collapsed on his knees, small elaborate folds around his eyes visible as they widened. He perspired continuously, panting in heavy wheezes.

"Mikan…run…" he panted, his eyes slowly lost all its glimmer and color. He stopped moving, his body went stiff, his huffs ceased.

"NO! I just can't leave you here!" she insisted. But inside her, she was beginning to get scared, especially for Natsume.

He suddenly grew silent, she immediately rushed to his side.

"NATSUME!"

A strong hand grabbed Mikan by the sweater, lifted her in midair and threw her towards a nearby tree. She felt her back slam against its trunk, pain seared throughout her body; however, it barely competed with the way her heart sank: It was Natsume who attacked her.

And he was doddering towards her, with a glazed menacing look in his eyes.

She was too shocked to move. Frightened tears falling freely from her eyes, she just stared at his approaching proximity. "Natsume…," her body shook uncontrollably, "Why are you doing this?"

He didn't seem to hear her words; he continued to stagger towards her.

She was extremely confused. She recalled her first days in the academy. Natsume used to be physically violent towards her back then. He had stopped hurting her when her alice was discovered. She considered him her friend ever since. Why would he attack her now?

"Natsume…please stop this…"

She watched in fright as he took another step towards her.

"Natsume! Snap out of it!" she cried out to him.

The sound of a twig cracking resonated as he took another step. Mikan cowered.

"Natsume…please…"

No response---just another step.

"NATSUME! Don't do this! I don't want us to fight! We're friends remember?" she shouted at him desperately, her hair flipped against the cool air.

Natsume halted in front of her. He looked emotionless.

To her disbelief, Natsume grabbed her neck and started to strangle her. Mikan gasped for air, his name resonating from her voice. Somehow, she had to defend herself. She gripped his wrists and tried to push them away in vain. '_God, he's strong…'_ she thought, wincing in pain. She realized that his eyes had acquired distant look.

There had to be an explanation for all this—she won't give up until she found out.

She moved her whole body violently as much as she could, to try to shake him off. In the process, their two forms fell on the ground, with Natsume on top of her. He growled ferociously at her.

"N-Na-tsu..me…p-please…h-hear me…" Mikan choked, dread tore up her throat. Tears were streaming down her face. He increased the insolent pressure around her neck. She continued to gasp for air and let out a shriek of pain.

Natsume seemed to have heard; his eyes widened and she noticed a bit of life emerge from it. He was sweating profusely, releasing his grip erratically.

"Mi..kan…go…run…stupid…" he wheezed in between heaves. His breathing was heavy, yet warm against her skin.

"NO! I will NOT leave you like this!" she cried out. She used the time to scamper to her feet and added, "I won't…"

She realized that Natsume was being controlled. He didn't seem like he wanted to hurt her.

Then a thought occurred to her.

_He could comatose numerous people and use his Alice to completely take over and control their bodies---all at once. He could control them into killing others or themselves._

"Hajime…" she muttered, who else could possibly have the alice to control Natsume? She remembered their encounter with the brothers a few days ago. Natsume and Hajime were hostile towards each other, although they never exchanged words.

Snapping out of her thoughts, she turned to Natsume; but he was gone. Her instincts warned her that it was not yet over.

She looked around, searching for Hajime.

"HAJIME! COME OUT!" she shouted in the darkness. She knew Hajime had to be around somewhere.

A shadow hovered over her, and she lifted her head. It was Natsume, his grievous profile vivid against the moon, a clenched fist aiming right at her. "GO AWAY MIKAN!" he cried out to her, his speed increased as gravity pulled him towards her. His face was contorted in torment and pleaded for her to evade.

"NATSUME! I'll still be here for you…I want to help you, IDIOT!" she cried back, tears sprung from her eyes as her heart ached. Her voice reached him and his eyes widened.

The next thing Natsume realized, he was blinded by an explosion of light, and it spread throughout the northern forest.

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Ruka shriveled in his seat. His elegant features exhibited one that of fear—and exasperation.

"Imai, this is no time to eat darn it!" he shouted at the girl stuffing her mouth with cupcakes sitting beside him. There were crumbs scattered around her lips but she didn't seem to mind.

They have been searching everywhere for Mikan and Natsume, who disappeared from their dorm rooms several hours ago. They decided to rest in the playground and settled on a bench. He had sent his eagle and an owl to fly over the whole school and report back to him---but both weren't back yet.

One of the lamps flickered. What were they doing out in the middle of the night? He had a gut feeling something bad must have happened, but he couldn't figure it out. Ruka was getting worried, and Hotaru eating heartily did not help ease his feelings at all.

Hotaru extended her palm towards him, a scrumptious cupcake on her hand. "You want some?" she offered.

"No. Imai. Aren't you worried?" he groaned.

Hotaru turned to him, now munching on the sweet delicacy she had just offered to him a while ago. "Ofcourse I am. Just relax, Ruka. Throwing a tantrum won't help us find them," she replied calmly.

Ruka didn't answer; he knew she was right. Hotaru was impossible---yet there was a distinct maturity in her, he had to admit. He leaned back against the bench and let out a sigh.

"You told her?" she asked casually.

Ruka snapped his head around and faced Hotaru. His jaw dropped. "How did you know?"

"Mikan was acting weird around you this afternoon. She's not exactly the type who could hide her feelings very well." Hotaru explained, reaching for another package in her bag, opening it, and plopping another cupcake in her mouth.

His gaze softened. "You know what, you really are her best friend."

"Whatever."

His lips curved from her answer and he stared into space. Hotaru noticed his blank gaze and poked him. Ruka tried to ignore her but she seemed to find it amusing; he whirled his head to tell her to stop---only to find a cupcake shoved into his mouth.

Ruka shot Hotaru a confused look. He stared at her fingertips that were still connected to the cupcake, ready to push it down his throat. He turned red. What was she doing? He tried to speak but the pastry muffled his voice.

"It's delicious. Try some so you can forget your nerves for a while," she commanded.

She spoke so firmly that he nodded instantly. Man, this girl was pushy. Interestingly, she had a good point.

Ruka pulled the cupcake from his mouth and took a bite. She was right yet again---it was delicious.

Hotaru smiled. "Don't worry, they'll be alright," she reassured.

For some reason, Ruka found himself blushing. He instantly turned his back at her and stooped his head to hide it.

He barely heard the intricate hoots and squawks calling out to him from a distance.

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The wafting of the shadows from the forest grove seemed to celebrate a hushed masquerade from where they were: Passion heightened, storms ceased.

They lay there in each other's embrace, on the still earth, quiet and unmoving.

Natsume crashed into Mikan after her nullifying alice engulfed the entire forest in a canopy of light, just like that time when he attacked her during her first few days in the academy. When he regained control again, he instantly unclenched his fist and flung away from its original path.

His body was aching all over but he was more concerned with the girl lying beneath him. He held her closely; she tried to gently push him away, but he refused to let go of her.

"Don't leave, Mikan," he had uttered so softly.

Mikan could practically feel his heart steadily beating with her own. She let him hold her, his weight crushing her. "Natsume? We should get you to the hospital…" she said, staring at the bruises at the side of his face that he probably acquired from their collision.

Natsume shushed her. "Shut up," he ordered, burying his face on her neck. It tickled and Mikan felt her body stiffen. He gently held her closer to him. Mikan obeyed and ceased to speak. She lured her gaze towards the skies, enjoying the way he blanketed her body. She closed her eyes and listened to his steady breathing.

He spoke again, breaking the silence.

"Why do you have to be so stubborn?" he mumbled; she blushed and he continued. "Why do you keep on caring even if I push you away?"

Natsume continued in a low gruff tone. "Aren't you afraid of the darkness in me? You know what I'm going through, you fool. You know you'll get in trouble if you stay near me."

She felt one his thighs shift between her legs, his knee forced them to slightly open, and one of his legs tangled around hers. She felt her cheeks grow hot as he altered his position above her.

He continued.

"You're an idiot. I don't want you to get sucked in by my problems. I want you…to stay the way you are."

Mikan shook her head. She smoothly glided her hands across his back, and held him back, returning his embrace. "I disagree with you, Natsume," she replied, her lips curved tenderly. "I know you still have a choice. I don't believe you're a dark and morbid person."

She continued.

"I…don't want you to be alone. I don't want you to be lonely."

Natsume sighed heavily and squeezed her tighter; he let his face caress her warm, glowing cheeks. "You're impossible," he whispered into her ear.

She smiled and turned to him, their faces only centimeters away. The way he stared at her was overwhelming and she found herself blushing again. His hand had covered her cheeks, entrapping her face between his palms.

"Can I…kiss you again?" he asked in a deep, longing tone.

This request surprised Mikan, and the pacing of her heart increased a thousand times. But she nodded, nevertheless.

"Uh…okay," she answered.

Their eyes slowly closed as his face moved closer. She felt Natsume caught her lips in another intense kiss, but he was gentler this time. She sighed and instinctively clung to his shoulders.

In a fit of curiosity, Mikan kissed him back lightly. He groaned. She gasped when he felt his tongue part her lips and explored the recesses of her mouth; she heard him moan in pleasure and kissed her more aggressively. She clutched his shirt tighter, sinking into the deep ocean of their intimacy, knowing that he desired her---one way or another.

Hesitantly, they parted and looked at each other. He still looked hazed while she looked dizzy from the kiss. He stood and helped her up, his hands held hers.

It was then that Natsume collapsed.

"NATSUME!"

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"Impressive."

Hajime lurked in the shadows, perched on a branch of a blemished tree. He stared at the couple, and smirked. He never imagined that Mikan would be able to cancel his alice without knowing where he hid. The girl amazed him to no end.

A few branches away, a puppet-less, werewolf-less but alice-less Youichi sat, shaking his head; his legs dangled from the branch he settled on.

"So **this** is your little gift to Natsume. How clever…" he remarked, "If you told me sooner I would have helped you out."

Hajime rolled his eyes. "That's **exactly** why I don't want you to know. You'll pester me like a fly with your obsession with that Natsume," he muttered snidely.

Youichi looked insulted. "Hey! Take that back you son-of-a-toot!" he said angrily, raising his fists threateningly at Hajime.

Hakato sat beside him, eyes wide and excited. "WOW! Natsume is so lucky!" he exclaimed, pointing at the hugging Mikan and Natsume. "Look at those things squashed against him! I wonder what it feels like..." Hajime and Youchi realized that Hakato was referring to Mikan's huge boobs that were, as he mentioned, literally squished against Natsume's chest.

Youichi sweated and hit Hakato on the head who yelped in pain. "What ever is going on in there, I do **NOT** want to know."

Hajime thought otherwise, and agreed with his little brother. "Yeah…" he started, looking very thoughtful.

Youichi glared at him. "You're a bad influence," he pointed accusingly at Hajime.

Hajime lifted a brow while Hakato jumped towards him. "Bad influence? My brother looks rather happy, so does it matter?" he retorted, pointing at Hakato who was now clapping his hands over his mouth, happily watching Natsume and Mikan make-out in the middle of the forest.

Youichi slapped his forehead in disbelief. He forced himself to calm down and decided to change the subject. "Well, anyway, I thought you hated Natsume," he asked, crossing his arms.

"Ofcourse I hate him." Hajime simply replied.

"Then why the hell did you go through all this just to try and bring those two closer?"

Hajime grew quiet, he looked reflective. He turned his head and looked at the couple from their spot.

"Natsume…he needs someone like that girl," he explained, his tone turned solemn. "You know the harsh things he's going through because of this stupid academy, and the way it affected him. I know how it feels." His face grew sober as if he recalled a bad memory.

Youichi nodded and urged him to go on.

Hajime stared at him with his piercing golden eyes. "I want her…to see how much Natsume needs her."

"And Natsume needs to know, that he doesn't have to be alone." Hajime finished, ruffling his little brother's hair who grinned up at him. His lips curved and his eyes seemed to have softened. "Maybe, she can save him from the darkness."

Youichi sighed. "I know. Natsume can be hard-headed sometimes," he agreed, "He doesn't want me to help him either." He grimaced at Hajime. "But, that still doesn't explain why you hate him." He glared intently at the older boy, who just stared at him.

Youchi tapped his foot impatiently. "Well?"

Silence.

Hajime spoke in a lifeless voice. "He refused to watch porn with me."

Youichi almost fell off his branch.

"WHAT! You asked Natsume to watch porn with you!" he bellowed, dropping his jaw. "That's all? What kind of lame reason is that!"

Hajime shrugged and ignored the glares Youichi was shooting at him. "It's not lame," he simply answered. "Porn binds men together. It's an insult to me that he refused."

Youichi gritted his teeth and growled. "Then you're probably the one who made Mikan's breasts bigger!" he accused.

Hajime frowned. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I simply made Hakato give her a strong mixture of the alice-neutralizing formula," he explained, offended of being accused. "The only side-effect is that her alice would go berserk a few days after and it can alter her surroundings temporarily."

Then he added. "Unless somebody gave her a potion during the time the formula affected her alice."

Hajime stopped and he frowned. "Come to think of it, some of my potions were missing the past few weeks…" he continued.

Both turned to Hakato, who looked guilty over something.

Youichi narrowed his eyes at his friend. Hajime rubbed his chin.

"Hakato, were you stealing random potions from my laboratory again?" Hajime questioned him. Hakato cowered and his sweat mocked a tropical rainstorm.

Hakato fiddled with his fingers. "Um...er…yes," he confessed. "But I swear! I didn't do it! I was just trying to make a love potion…"

Hajime patted his little brother on the head. "Let's save the rest for tomorrow," he said. Hakato sighed in relief and looked at his brother thankfully.

"I am such a good big brother." Hajime continued.

Youichi rolled his eyes and glared. "That doesn't change the fact that you're a pervert."

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**To be continued…**

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**End Notes: **WooT! The Ruka x Hotaru part is especially dedicated to R x H fans (especially **Hiyono-chin**!---who also convinced me to include a little Tsubasa x Misaki in the earlier chapters) --- I hope it turned out okay, even if it was very light and very short.

I also hope the N x M fans enjoyed the hehehe, intimacy, hehehe between Natsume and Mikan. Sorry guys, I can't bring myself to make Natsume say "I love you" to Mikan…I just can't imagine it. XD I had a hard time trying not to turn that scene into something more…(grins sheepishly) hehehe, naughty (I almost got carried away, bwahahaha). I wanted to retain Natsume's dark personality (without being too dark) and at the same time show his caring side---especially towards Mikan. (scratches head) Anyway, I hope the transition from drama to action and the last bit of humor didn't confuse you guys.

**Next: Chapter 8 (ENDING)**

Looks like Hajime isn't that bad after all. The answer to why he had those pictures in his lab is in the next chapter. Was he interested in Mikan too? How will Mikan face Ruka and Natsume---will she finally make up her mind between the two? Also, who was responsible for blowing up Mikan's breasts like that---Hajime or Hakato? The resolution next chapter.

I just realized how hard it is to make a series fic. XD

**Before turning to Chapter Eight, here's a little summary on why Mikan suddenly had large breasts (to avoid confusion): **

1) Hakato, in his Akito form, spiked the soda he gave to Mikan back in Chapter 2 with the alice-neutralizing formula (which will work on Mikan because it's not made using an alice, as Narumi said in Chapter 5)—thus, the whole time from early Chapter 2 until early in Chapter 6, her nullifying alice should **not** be working (properly).

2) Hajime denies that he was the one responsible for Mikan's big breasts---because the only side-effect to his potion was that her alice will go berserk and cause weird things to happen (remember Mikan's…um…menstruation when her alice went haywire and her bedroom window was gone in Chapter 4?)

3) Hajime turns to his little brother, Hakato, who admitted that he stole some potions from his laboratory to play pranks on other people.

4) Our detective Youichi suspects Hakato must have done something to the alice-neutralizing formula he gave to Mikan.

5) **Conclusion: **The chapter ends with Hakato and Hajime being the prime suspects of Mikan's bust-up.

Before continuing to Chapter 8, I highly suggest that you read all the previous chapters. XD

I've finished writing Chapter Eight actually (I'm just revising it). XD Tell me what you think of the chapter! Thank you very much! Especially from N x M fans who like steamy N x M romance. I hope it didn't disappoint you. Thank you so much for all your reviews!


	8. Chapter 8: It All Began With Puberty!

_Puberty takes its toll! Mikan is growing up…with Natsume constantly insulting her flat-chest. However, when someone made Mikan's chest-size bigger, wearing a bra didn't seem such a big deal anymore…especially since suitors flocked everywhere—much to Natsume and Ruka's annoyance. NxMxR. R&R! Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice. I'm just here to bully the characters.**

**Author's Notes: **Waaaaah! Here goes nothing…I hope this ending won't disappoint you. This chapter includes: 1) The aftermath of the mushy Natsume x Mikan x Ruka in the previous chapters---Mikan makes a decision; 2) We find out who's responsible for Mikan's big boobs-problem and; 3) we'll know the real reason why Hajime keeps Mikan pictures in his lab and hides them from his brother. I hope you'll like it. XD I'll say no more, just read on!

**Original Characters:**

**Hajime Ikashita **– dangerous ability type, yields the puppeteer alice that could comatose and control numerous people at the same time, making them act like his puppets: Likes porn, hates Natsume because he refused to watch porn with him.

**Hakato Ikashita **– dangerous-ability-type, the true identity of **Akito Takahashi**; yields the shape-shifting alice that enables him to transform into anything he desires anytime, anywhere; his specialty is changing into monsters whereby he acquires their beastly abilities; Youichi's younger friend in the elementary division who has a huge crush on Mikan---also likes to steal potions from Hajime's laboratory to play pranks on others. **(If you noticed, I played with Hakato's name a little—try to jumble Akito's whole name ehe…)**

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**Mikan Wears a Bra**

Genre: Romance/Humor/Action

**Chapter 8: It All Began With Puberty! **

Written By: WizdomGoddess

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What he had now, may be gone tomorrow.

He feared it, the kind of life he lived: It is his destiny.

Where he was, darkness savored his soul.

"Natsume?"

That voice. The voice which belonged to her: bright and full of life. It appeased him.

"Natsume!"

Pain engulfed his whole body. He knew a hand covered his, and he instinctively gripped it. Natsume knew it was hers.

"Mikan…," he mumbled. The darkness slowly faded, a pale blurry face replaced it.

"I'm here, Natsume."

Natsume forced himself to move, despite the intolerable aches that petrified his body. He rose into a sitting position; his arms functioned as temporary crutches. He held his forehead for a while, massaging it to calm down his nerves. He could tell that the night was not yet over by the dim lighting of the room.

The fragrance that tickled his nostrils brought him to realize he was inside a familiar room---and it was definitely not his.

He opened an eye, only to be greeted by the sight of her tearful face. "Mikan…" he repeated, this time in a low hoarse whisper. The way she looked, he knew she had been crying for a long time. He stared at her.

Mikan flung her arms around him and sobbed on his shoulders, her legs sprawled over the bed as she embraced him. "You idiot! You worried me! We thought you had a heart attack…" she cried, tightening the hug, forgetting he was still recuperating. "I was so worried."

Natsume cringed, but didn't say anything. He stared at the top of her head. "Hey. How did we get here?" he asked.

Mikan lifted her gaze, noticing how exhausted she looked. "Ruka and Hotaru came, right after you collapsed…," she explained. She shifted until her legs dangled from the bed into a proper sitting position. "Ruka?" he replied.

_Typical of Ruka…_he thought, mused.

"He was also worried about you. We dragged you all the way here with Hotaru," she continued.

"Where is he?"

"He rushed downstairs to get some first aid materials from the dorm robot. We're here in my room," she added.

Natsume stared. "I see." He fixed his eyes on her, an interesting memory returned to him.

Mikan felt uneasy under his gaze, so she settled on staring at her lap, furiously blushing. Her tousled hair fell over her shoulders as she stooped her head.

Suddenly, a voice called from outside. "Natsume!"

A worried Ruka appeared in the doorway, holding a set of bandages, medicine, and small towels in his arms. He rushed towards them and Mikan stood up from the bed to give way for him. Ruka sat next to Natsume and sent him an anxious look. "Natsume, are you feeling better?"

Natsume stared back at his best friend. "I'm fine Ruka. Don't worry about me," he answered. He could tell from the way his friend behaved that he was tired as well. "You don't have to waste your time with me. Why don't you go to sleep?"

"No, I don't want your wounds to be infected."

Natsume sighed. "Fine."

The clock sang in loud ticks and tocks. Natsume glanced at Mikan, who inhabited the space next to his friend. He found it unusual that she remained complacent watching Ruka tend to his injuries. For the past few years, she usually freaked out and reiterated when awful things happened, asking if he was alright over and over again. _She's probably just worn out_, he said in his mind, dropping the thought.

"It's done," Ruka said, wiping some sweat off his forehead. He got another towel and mopped his hands with it. He moved his gaze towards his Natsume. "You better rest." He stood up and yawned.

Mikan replaced him on the bed and sat yet again, next to Natsume, bobbing her head towards the blonde-haired young man. "You better rest too Ruka. I'm really sorry for worrying you when I left the dorm," her voice sounded gloomy. "All I do is make everyone worried…"

Ruka shook his head and smiled timidly at her. "Don't think like that, Mikan. It's okay. It's not your fault," he comforted, looking away as a light blush surfaced on his cheeks. When they realized the awkwardness that developed between them, both laughed it off. They turned to Natsume and grinned.

"We still have to go school tomorrow. Let's all go to sleep!" Mikan said, raising a fist into the air, her tone cheerful.

Natsume stared at his two friends who were looking expectantly at him. Slowly, he nodded. "Okay." He proceeded to lie down on the bed, his side facing the two, and settled his head against the soft pillow on Mikan's bed.

Mikan and Ruka sweated.

"Uh Natsume, that's my bed. Why don't you go back to your room?" she asked, scratching her head. What was this guy up to?

"I still don't feel well."

"You can walk, right?"

"No."

"You can't sleep on my bed!" Mikan protested.

She turned to Ruka in panic, who knew his best friend was bluffing---especially since Natsume just shot him a warning look. Ruka only managed to let out a small nervous laugh in response. Her heart sank.

With no Ruka to rescue her, she sighed and stood up. "Fine!" she muttered, feeling more embarrassed by the minute. "I'll go sleep in Hotaru's room!" She was about to walk away when a strong hand grabbed hers and she was pulled back unto the bed. She glared at Natsume, who simply tightened his grip on her wrists.

"Natsume! Let go of me!" she demanded.

The room grew awfully quiet. Natsume decided to break it.

"Why don't you sleep here with me?"

Mikan blinked. Her mouth hung open at this peculiar proposal. A mixture of surprise and stress brushed over Ruka's face.

"Wh-what?" she stuttered nervously.

"Sleep with me." Natsume stated.

"No way!" she wailed and squirmed.

"Idiot, I'm not the only one who needs to rest."

Mikan stopped struggling and stared at him. She heard Ruka let out another yawn from behind her.

Natsume saw this and spoke again. "You stay too Ruka," he ordered.

Ruka blinked, totally confused. "But…"

"Natsume…" Mikan began, then a realization hit her. Was he worried about them too? Maybe he thought that going back to their rooms would be too much of a hassle for them, especially for Ruka. '_Come to think of it, he has always been a sweet guy…even though he has a weird way of showing it'_ she reflected. Natsume was one unpredictable guy---but she liked it.

She turned to Ruka and instinctively held back Natsume's hand.

"Let's all sleep together. There's really nothing wrong with it, now that I thought about it," she said and smiled, "Natsume is right. We all need to rest." She rubbed her eyes as drowsiness slowly took over.

Ruka contemplated and a curve formed on his lips. "Okay then, but how are we supposed to fit in there?" he asked, pointing out that her bed could only be occupied by two people.

Mikan grinned. "We'll find a way." She glanced at Natsume, who was listening to every word they said. "Right, Natsume?"

"Just sleep already," he replied and gave way when she slid beside him on the bed.

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Hotaru had left her two friends so they could attend to the unconscious Natsume in Mikan's room. She went downstairs so she could find something to eat for them. She found some biscuits, made some warm milk, placed the stuff on a tray, and carried it upstairs.

Lost in her thoughts, she walked along the corridors.

Hotaru smiled to herself. Mikan went through a lot of problems again. She seemed to have the knack of getting into trouble all the time. Maybe she really was a jinx. She knew her friend was strong despite tribulations---with that she trusted her. Besides, things always livened up with Mikan around. She changed a lot of people, like the two boys currently infatuated with her. She knew those two will protect her best friend no matter what, just like she will.

When she reached Mikan's room, the door was wide open. She lifted a brow and stepped in, only to be greeted by an unusual sight.

Inside the room were the sleeping forms of her three friends: Mikan and Natsume occupied the bed, snuggled against each other. Both lay on their sides facing in one direction, with Natsume behind Mikan. Both faced Ruka, who was bent over from a chair at the side of the bed. With his face in front of Mikan, his head slightly popped out in the middle of his folded arms resting on the soft carnation sheets. Mikan and Ruka's faces were mere inches away from each other, their hands were clasped together, eyes closed. Hotaru moved her gaze towards Natsume, who had his head nuzzled against Mikan's neck from behind, lost strands of her hair spilled over his face. Both his arms were wrapped around her petite waist and she took note that Mikan looked really comfortable in his embrace.

All three slept peacefully as the night went on its course.

Hotaru smiled. She quietly placed the tray on her friend's study table, just beside an empty lid-less bottle. She walked over to the cabinet and pulled out two blankets. Carefully, she spread the first blanket over Natsume and Mikan on the bed, tucking them in gently. She placed the other over Ruka's shoulders until it covered his whole back and arms. Ruka stirred from the warmth that suddenly engulfed him but fell back into a deep slumber. She smirked, musing that the poor guy would probably wake up with a backache in the morning.

She walked back to the door and smiled at the scene. They looked like sleeping babies. "Big babies," she added in a soft whisper.

Sumire along with the other Natsume and Ruka fan-girls will throw a fit when they find out about this. She smiled evilly.

With one last glance, Hotaru switched off the lights and closed the door with hardly a sound.

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"Hotaaaaru! I'm so happy!"

Mikan walked happily beside her, her breasts were back to the old flatness again---just like an airport runway. Earlier that morning, Hotaru had woken up Sumire and told her that Mikan wanted to talk to her. Sumire got there just in time to see **both** Natsume and Ruka trudge out of Mikan's bedroom. The moment she saw Mikan, she transformed into her cat-dog state in rage, chased her all over the dorm stirring up chaos, and demanded what the heck the two most hard-to-get guys in the whole school were doing inside her room.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, Mikan tripped while running down the stairs and her body slammed at the bottom with a loud thud. She was motionless for several minutes. When Sumire turned her over to check if she was alright, her large breasts were gone. She was back to normal!

Mikan could never be happier that morning, she even hugged Sumire when she found out her chest was flat again.

Hotaru glanced at her friend, who was smiling to herself. "It's a miracle you're not jumping around telling everybody your chest is back to normal," she remarked and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Are you _really_ back to normal?"

Mikan turned to her and nodded. "Don't worry Hotaru! I'm fine! I'm just happy that's all!" Hotaru looked unconvinced.

Their conversation was disrupted by a loud series of whispers from a crowd of high school girls. They were gathered outside a classroom. They buzzed and peeped inside, some were blushing, some were squealing---and all looked stunned. Mikan and Hotaru looked at each other. They raced towards the commotion out of curiosity.

"Oh my god! I can't believe they're all in one place!" one girl squealed.

"Is this some sort of dangerous-ability type gathering?"

"This is so rare!"

'That's Youichi, isn't it? He sure grew well!"

"They're all so good-looking!"

"Ruka is also in there! Oh my god, he's so hot!"

"Natsume is mine!" one girl cried.

"No, he's mine!" the other screamed.

Mikan poked one of the girls and asked her if they could let them through. "I want to see what's going on!" Mikan asked politely. "Can I?"

The older girl pushed her away harshly. "Go away!" she sneered.

Hotaru frowned and stepped forward. "Let us through," she requested calmly. She looked at the girl, eye to eye. The girl stood with her hands on her hips, refusing to move.

"And if I don't?" the girl lifted a brow, while the others glared at them.

In the end, Mikan and Hotaru easily made their way through, thanks to Hotaru's latest invention. "Invention number 347, the Squealing Stubborn Fan-girls dispersion machine. It's one hundred percent reliable," she announced monotonously, pulling out a round red ball-shaped device.

Mikan was shocked when mechanical hands flew from the seemingly useless ball and slapped every girl in the crowd. While the older girls were busy trying to get the things off their faces, Hotaru and Mikan walked through the now-dispersed crowd.

She sweated. 'Hotaru! That's a mean thing to do! You're so evil!" she cried, watching one of the girls scream in horror when a hand slapped her silly face over and over again. Hotaru shook her head. 'No, it's called punishment," she explained, with an evil grin.

When they entered the doorway, inside the classroom was Ruka, along with four familiar faces---indeed all from the dangerous ability types.

Near the window at the back of the classroom, Ruka was sitting calmly beside Natsume, who had his feet up one of the tables, a manga on his lap, and hands in his pockets. Youichi was sitting on the table across the aisle from Natsume. Hajime and Hakato sat in front of Natsume and Ruka, leaning against their respective chairs.

Natsume and Hajime shot dirty looks at each other.

"Horny bastard," Natsume barked, narrowing his eyes.

"Impotent moron," Hajime retorted, lifting his right ankle on top of his left knee with a smirk.

"Pervert."

"Gay."

Mikan and Hotaru sweated at their interesting exchange of words.

Youichi noticed their presence in the room and waved. "Over here! Mikan! Hotaru!"

Everyone lifted their gaze towards the two approaching girls, except Hajime and Natsume, who were busy throwing cusses at each other.

Hakato jumped from his seat and ran towards Mikan. "MIIIIIIKAAAAAAAN! HUUUUG MEEEEE!" he squealed in delight and threw his arms around Mikan's waist. She beamed and hugged him back. "Oh! Hello Hakato!"

As soon as Hakato was pressed against her, he noticed something different with Mikan. "Hey! You're flat-chested again!" he cried out, looking disappointed. Youichi slapped his forehead, marched towards Hakato, and dragged him away from Mikan by the ear. He flung the younger boy back to his seat and shot him a warning look.

The younger boy wailed and threw a tantrum. "YOUICHI! You party-pooper!" he glared at his friend, sticking out his lower lip. "You're just like Natsume!"

"At least I'm not as perverted as your brother." Youichi replied, and turned to the girls. "Anyway, we're here to find out what Hajime's been up to the past few days."

Hotaru took a seat beside him. "So he's the one behind all this?"

Hajime and Natsume finally looked away from each other and decided to join their conversation.

Beside Hajime, his little brother cried a bucket of tears. The puppeteer placed a hand on top of his brother's head and gave the younger boy a comforting look. Hakato instantly stopped and resorted to sniffing.

Natsume ignored them and stared at Mikan instead. She avoided his gaze, blushing.

Ruka coughed. "Anyway, what really happened, Youchi?" the blonde-haired boy inquired, turning to the gray-haired boy. "You never reported to us."

"Hakato babbled almost everything to me last night." He glared at Hakato, who stuck out his tongue. "To sum it up, Hakato used his shape-shifting alice and transformed into this _Akito Takahashi_ who Mikan has been hanging out with for the past few weeks. All this time, Hakato is really Akito."

Hotaru looked insightful. "I guess that makes sense. But Mikan has a nullifying alice. Hakato can't possibly stay as Akito for long."

"Correct, Hotaru." Youichi nodded, and continued. "That is why Hakato fed her Hajime's alice-neutralizing potion through the drinks he offered her. It prevented Mikan from using her nullifying alice."

Ruka lifted a brow. "Why would he do something like that in the first place?" he asked, befuddled. "Mikan told me that it was probably Hajime who controlled Natsume into attacking her last night."

Hajime glared at Youichi. The evil-spirit summoner sweated-dropped. "Well, yeah. That was his doing but I'm sworn to secrecy, sorry."

Mikan clapped her hands over her mouth. "I remember Hakato saying that Hajime hated Natsume!" she uttered, growing curious. "Why?"

Youichi hesitated at first, but decided to answer her question. "Natsume doesn't want to watch porn with Hajime," he told her.

Ruka and Hotaru sweated. Mikan blinked. "What? Horn? That's the thing you blow with your mouth right? Or is it the other one? What's wrong with Natsume's horn?" she asked innocently, eyes wide with curiosity. Ruka fell off his chair, trying hard not to laugh. Hotaru and Youichi snickered.

"You're almost there, but not quite." Natsume remarked. Mikan deliberated the issue in her mind. "Heeeey, wait a minute. You don't have a horn!" she told him and frowned.

Hajime fixed his golden eyes on her. "You have **no** idea."

He could see Natsume glare threateningly at him at the corner of his eye. He ignored him, took out a cigarette, placed it in his mouth and turned his attention back to Mikan. "Do you want me to teach you what porn means?"

"Wow! That will be great!"

His cigarette instantly burned to a crisp, and Hajime watched the ashen shreds flutter down his lap. He turned to Natsume, who was now giving him a death glare, and raised a brow.

"What's wrong with you Natsume? You want to teach her?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

Hajime took out another cigarette and shot him a bored look. "Then why don't **you** give her **practical** lessons? Experience is the best teacher as they say. You had the opportunity last night in the forest. You're such a loser."

His cigarette got burned again.

"Stop burning my cigarettes, Natsume."

"Shut up."

"Want to borrow my porn magazines?"

"No."

"You should enjoy your manhood, you know. Take it from me."

"Why should I listen to you?"

Youichi decided to butt in and changed the subject. "Anyway, why do you have pictures of Mikan plastered in your laboratory Hajime? What about that life-size puppet of Mikan?" he asked, crossing his arms and waiting for an explanation.

"You have a collection of Mikan pictures?" Hakato turned to his older brother in shock, tears formed at the rim of his eyes. He looked hurt. "Why didn't you tell me?"

There was a pause, all eyes were on him.

Hajime realized he was cornered and gave in. "I took pictures of her so I can copy and create a perfect replica of Mikan," he admitted, and turned to his little brother. "I want it to be the perfect Mikan puppet for my little brother. It was supposed to be my birthday gift to you Hakato."

The young boy looked overjoyed and leapt towards his brother for a bear hug.

"Oh! Thank you Hajime!"

"But I'm not finished with it."

"That's alright! Can you make her breasts big and squishy?"

"Ofcourse. How big?"

"How many can you make?" All eyes turned to Natsume, who asked the latter question. Ruka turned brick red, and his jaw dropped open.

Hajime pursed his lips. "Why? Are you interested? I can make another one just for you," he offered, a malicious glint in his eye.

Natsume didn't answer. He looked deeply absorbed in his thoughts.

"While he's making a decision…" Hotaru began, she turned to Hajime. "Are you the one who made Mikan's breasts bigger?"

"No." he replied flatly.

"Her alice going berserk and the weird happenings affecting her environment are the only side-effects of the potion." Youichi explained.

Hajime added. "I listed the potions Hakato stole for the past weeks. It's impossible to conjure up a strong potion with that same breast enlarging side-effect, much more as a main effect, using those ingredients."

Deadly silence engulfed the classroom.

They looked at each other questioningly---except Natsume who still had the idea of a Mikan puppet swirling in his thoughts.

…

If Hajime and Hakato didn't do it, who did?

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Somewhere in the academy, a high-pitched scream pierced through the hallways.

A pink-haired girl barged into the room filled with bottles and chemicals only to find a trembling Nonoko sobbing on the floor. Worried, Anna rushed to her side and supported her friend upright.

"Nonoko-chan! What's wrong!"

"I-I accidentally mistook the breast enlargement potion for a shampoo that I gave to Mikan!" she cried, shaking Anna in the process. "I just found out today when I was looking for it! I don't know why it worked on her…waaah!"

Anna stared at her in disbelief. "WHAT! So YOU were the one responsible for Mikan's troubles!" she exclaimed. She paused and rubbed her chin. "You think we should tell them?"

Nonoko shook her head violently.

"Are you kidding? No way! You've seen how angry Natsume and Ruka were for the past few weeks!" she shivered and looked pleadingly at Anna. "Those two will KILL me! Keep it a secret?" She brushed a tear from her eye. Anna beamed and patted her friend on the shoulder.

"It's our little secret! They don't have to know, right?" she promised, flashing her sweetest smile.

"Right! Oh, I love you Anna!" Nonoko squealed, hugging her friend.

"I love you too!"

"But I feel bad about this…"

"Can't you see? This is the advantage of being extra characters. We can get away with it!" Anna chirped, and hugged her friend back.

The two extra characters started jumping together and sang in unison. "It's nice being a chopped liver!"

Nonoko and Anna looked at each other and giggled. Both girls laughed heartily, with no care in the world.

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Through the middle of the leaf crowns, flowed streams of light that visibly illuminated the crust beneath its shade. Here, they rested. Ruka and Natsume sat beside each other: Natsume reading his manga, Ruka stroking his pet bunny.

"Hey Natsume."

"Yeah?"

"Did you tell her your feelings?" Ruka asked, glancing at his friend.

"I didn't tell her."

"You just showed her right?"

Natsume didn't answer; Ruka took the silence as a yes. He gazed at the clear sprinkles of dewdrops that showered over them in broad daylight. He smiled, feeling relieved somehow. Remembering how she had gazed back at him when he confessed to her; remembering the time he picked her undergarments and the way she flared when he saw her bare; remembering the times he saw her in his best friend's embrace; all seemed like a distant memory, yet a memory cherished forever in his mind.

"So this is where you two are!" somebody chirped in his ear. He whirled around and saw her smiling face glistening with radiance. Both young men looked up and moved away from each other, giving enough space for her to sit in between them.

Mikan sat there with Natsume and Ruka on both sides: The latter smiled back while the former continued reading his manga.

She lingered, playing with the blades of green around them. To their surprise, she wrapped her fingers around each of their elbows; her right on Ruka's, her left on Natsume's. Both turned and faced her, confused.

"Ruka…Natsume…" she began, "I know how you two feel. I'm sorry for not seeing it sooner."

Natsume and Ruka stared at her, their gazes softened. She began fumbling with her feet.

"I guess you two would like to hear an answer…"

Natsume let go of his manga and joined Ruka in listening to what she had to say.

Mikan looked at Ruka, then at Natsume, and took a deep breath.

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From afar, Hotaru watched quietly.

She noticed the slight changes in Mikan---as if she matured during the weeks that passed. She watched as her best friend sat between Ruka and Natsume, talking to them about something serious; she observed how delicate their stares had become ever since they told Mikan how they felt, one way or another. She knew those two will take care of her, no matter who she ends up with---and where will that leave her in Mikan's life?

Hotaru felt a sharp pang.

Since the day her Mikan started wearing a bra, it dawned on her that her best friend was changing, and so was she: They were both growing up. Deep in her heart, she was afraid they might drift apart. She loved Mikan with all her heart, no matter how ironic her behavior was towards her friend. Lately, she had been using her baka gun more often on her best friend. Hotaru realized it was her way of keeping things the same like the old times, but she knew deep inside, that she could never outsmart the inevitable.

For the past few weeks, she had been feeling strange. Since boys flocked around Mikan when her breasts grew large, with Natsume and Ruka closely eyeing her, she barely had the time to hang out with her. She knew the rumors about her hooking up with someone wasn't true; she knew her friend from top to bottom, inside and out; but she began to have doubts when Mikan started to disappear more often. She searched for her, not because of the money she owed her---Hotaru simply missed her best friend.

Moreover, Hotaru wanted to punish her for disappearing without telling her.

Hotaru was aware she can be a cruel person; but Mikan always saw right through her. Seeing Mikan now, sharing her heart with two persons other than her, brought her loneliness; the reality that she wasn't the only one who had her best friend's heart anymore made her somewhat—jealous.

Will the childhood friend who used to follow her everywhere change? Will her best friend leave her, and find someone else?

Hotaru was intelligent, but at that moment, she was at a loss.

Another pang hit her.

When she looked at the three once more, she was surprised to find that Mikan was no longer in between them. She looked around and saw her best friend grinning beside her.

"Hi Hotaru! I knew you were here!"

Hotaru blinked. "Oh. I thought you were going to stay with Natsume and Ruka? Did you answer them?"

Her friend looked pensive. "I told them I just want to be good friends for now. I'm not planning to enter a relationship yet. I'm happy where we are now," she explained, her cheeks pink. "Just being friends…"

Hotaru listened as she continued. "And you know what, they agreed with me! Ruka said he'd wait as long as I wanted and Natsume said I shouldn't bother answering them if I wasn't ready." Mikan laughed at this.

Smiling brightly, Mikan took Hotaru's hand in hers. "Let's go? I want to hang out with you today," she asked pleadingly, "Will you?"

Hotaru nodded calmly. "Okay," she replied, and held back her best friend's hand.

The two girls walked together, leaving the shelter of the trees, towards a vast clearing where they could simply watch the clouds journey through the sky of boundless horizons.

"Hey Mikan," Hotaru spoke. Her friend turned to her, wide-eyed and content.

"Yes Hotaru?"

"What do you think of growing up?"

"I love it! Especially since you're with me Hotaru! Why do you ask?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

Mikan was right, for once.

Hotaru smiled inwardly.

Growing up was not so bad, especially with a good friend around to make it all the merrier---someone like her best friend.

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**THE END.**

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**This fanfiction is dedicated and created to celebrate the friendship shared by Mikan and Hotaru as well as Natsume and Ruka, once they begin life as teenagers. I hope you enjoyed it!**

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Your reviews will be much appreciated! I want to know what you think of the ending! I'll make another fanfic soon, ending with the N x M pairing / R x M pairing / R x H pairing next time. This will do for now.

If you see errors, feel free to tell me!

**TO ALL BELOVED READERS/REVIEWERS: I made a simple webpage dedicated to all of you--- a token of my appreciation for all your support! It's a small gift (w/ snippets from the manga)! Turn up your speakers too. Please visit my profile (click on the WizdomGoddess link at the top of this page) and you'll see a link there right away. I hope you like it! **

**End Notes: ** Hehehe, the real reason why I made Hajime and Hakato was to keep you guys off track Nonoko's trail (the "shampoo" Mikan was using during Chapter 2 was actually Nonoko's missing breast enlargement potion---you can see a paragraph in **Chapter 5** mentioning Nonoko's "shampoo" and the time she acquired it. XD So if Mikan used the potion everyday during the time she was spiked with the alice-neutralizing formula, it would really make her breasts grow big!)

I created new characters to try to mislead you guys into thinking the Ikashita brothers were the ones responsible for Mikan's sudden breast enlargement---well, _partly_ they are---but not quite. XD But actually, it would be easy to predict if you read that particular paragraph in Chappie 5.

I purposely added the slight change in Mikan's character that Hotaru noticed in the end of the story. Mikan acted a little bit more "grown-up" (or mature) here. If you noticed, Mikan became more and more sensitive with her surroundings as the chapters progressed—it was difficult to make the transition and I hope it turned out okay. And yes, Hotaru scores and wins Mikan yet again (Sorry Natsume…Sorry Ruka…you two will just have to wait XD). So Mikan doesn't want a boyfriend yet…she's got a best friend anyhow. XD Hehehehe!

Teenage life (as we all know) doesn't only revolve around boys, gross stuff, morbidity, and stuff like that, it involves all the changes in our relationships with other people---**especially** with friends (and family—but since they're away from their families---I don't think it's applicable in GA XD). This is why I used the term '**friend'** in this fanfic a whole lot coz it'll end there—and this is also the reason why I started with Hotaru and Mikan.

The Lesson: Things change and true friendships last despite these changes.

I'm sure almost all of you can relate to that.

And…(bounces around happily) Yay! I actually finished a series fanfic! This is the first time I've written a story this long! I can't believe it! XD


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